Anja Murray: Rewilding makes space for nature to thrive
The sound of woodpeckers has returned to Co Wicklow
In Ireland, we have an unfortunate cultural mindset that every piece of land must be used for productivity. Whether to grow crops, feed cattle or produce timber, each acre is required to earn its keep. In this, we overlook the need for healthy ecosystems that underpin every aspect of productivity. In order to maintain a habitable and productive environment, there must be space for nature to thrive.
It is most welcome to witness, therefore, a surge of enthusiasm for rewilding in recent years. From small pockets of land in which wild trees can seed themselves at their own discretion, or river floodplains in which wetlands can once again reign, rewilding is a whole spectrum of approaches that allow nature to decide what habitats are most suited to that piece of land. Rewilding is about surrendering our control of every parcel of land and offering wild species and habitats the space they need to recover.
Rewilding is a timely and entirely logical response to the fact that we now live on a planet in which farmed animals such as cows and pigs account for 60 per cent of all mammals on the planet by weight. We humans comprise 36 per cent by weight, and wild animals now comprise a paltry four per cent. Those corners of the earth where nature is given reign to move to its own rhythms are now few and far between.
While the objective is to restore self-sustaining and resilient ecosystems, most rewelding initiatives do require intervention and human input to undo the damage of previous exploitation. Peat bogs, for example, need drains to be blocked up in order to restore the water table that healthy, active peat formation requires. Invasive species will always have to be controlled to allow native species to regain balance.
Ecological science is always part of the equation, along with hydrology and other scientific disciplines too. Where extensive wetlands were drained and levelled, new channels can be opened up and land reprofiled to allow more natural fluvial characteristics to return. In some cases, planting trees can be more appropriate than allowing for natural regeneration. And where species are reintroduced, such as the golden eagles or white-tailed sea eagles that have been brought back to Irish skies, interventions and supports are needed until a wild population becomes established again.
All of this points to the reality that rewilding is quite a different thing from land abandonment. One of the pioneers of rewilding in Ireland is Eoghan Daltun, who has been caring for a woodland on the Beara Peninsula since 2009. He erected deer-proof fencing so that a natural understory of young trees and shrubs could re-establish. Invasive plants such as rhododendron and cherry laurel were cleared, a process that requires ongoing attention to remove the fresh rhododendron saplings that continue to pop up from seed bank reserves in the soil.
With years of care and active intervention, the woodland has become a luxurious haven for a thriving rainforest ecosystem brimming with layers of life. Polypody ferns hang from boughs of ancient oaks. Rich green carpets of moss mingle with rocky outcrops and woodland streams. An abundance of self-seeded sapling of sessile oak, downy birch, holly, willow and rowan all clamour for space. In his memoir, , Daltun charts the extraordinary journey of how a notion for restoration can grow into a powerful and inspiring legacy.
In the Glencree Valley in County Wicklow, the sound of woodpeckers has returned along with an increase in native woodland cover in the area. After being driven to extinction during the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of deforestation, woodpeckers found their own way back to Ireland once conditions became amenable for them. Several landowners in the valley have been actively restoring woodlands and the cumulative results will be exciting to follow in the coming years and decades. Grants are available through the Native Woodland Scheme to assist landowners with the conservation of existing native woodlands and the creation of new native woodlands. The grants include assistance with management challenges such as fencing and rhododendron control.
Also in Wicklow is the ‘Wildacres’ nature reserve and biodiversity education centre, where the owners have created more than 40 wildlife ponds across a 17.5-acre site and are regenerating wildflower meadows too. Their enthusiasm for all the wild species who have taken up residence there since this rewilding began, less than a decade ago, inspires many people who visit. As a social enterprise dedicated to restoring biodiversity, they offer nature-based tours and interactive workshops for individuals, community groups, clubs and corporate groups.
All across the country, families, farmers and communities are embarking on their own adventures with rewilding. One landowner in Meath who has changed the grazing regime to enhance species richness of semi-natural grasslands there has also been trying to impersonate beavers by building up damns along the stream to hold back water and create natural ponds along the course of the stream through the woods. I know several other landowners across Meath and Cavan who have been letting trees take over on significant landholdings, with birch, willow and alder naturally establishing in wetter areas around a mosaic of Scots pine and oak. The right tree in the right place happens naturally with time.
I regularly get enquiries from old colleagues or acquaintances who have decided to embark on their own rewilding projects and are looking for guidance. Figuring out what actions are going to be optimal for nature requires a combination of knowledge, experience, and imagination, and most people are baffled by so many options and differing approaches. In a perfect pitch to nurture the momentum now growing for rewilding, ecologist Pádraic Fogarty launched a new initiative last week called ‘Rewildyourland’ ( rewildyourland.ie). He is offering landowners his ecological expertise in guiding rewilding on their particular plot. The service is free to small landowners and community groups which means he is sure to be inundated in the coming months.
