Wildlife in Ireland is coming increasingly under threat, according to the Heritage Council.
Dr Liam Lysaght, ecologist with the Heritage Council
Biodiversity - the natural range of animal and plant life required for a healthy environment - is being adversely affected by pollution, pesticides, household and industrial chemicals, intensive farming, and loss of natural habitats such as hedgerows, natural grasslands and wetlands, it says.
The Heritage Council, a statutory body set up to protect and enhance Ireland's national heritage, called on the Government, local authorities, industry, farmers and the general public to make an effort to minimise damage to wildlife.
It made the call ahead of World Biodiversity Day on Sunday, May 22nd.
Ninety-five bird species - such as the barn owl - are threatened or in serious decline in Ireland. The corn bunting has become extinct in Ireland since 1990.
At least 120 plant species are endangered and many would be extinct but for cultivation and breeding programmes in the National Botanic Gardens.
"Reductions in biodiversity in Ireland have serious health and socio-economic implications," said Dr Liam Lysaght, ecologist with the Heritage Council. Everything in nature is linked into an intricate web and when a species goes into decline, it has a knock-on effect on other species and also on people.
"The total number of salmon caught in Irish waters has been declining rapidly since 1975, yet if managed effectively the salmon angling resource in the country could be worth €100 million to the economy, and much of this to the less economically vibrant parts of the country," Dr Lysaght said.
Ireland, along with the other EU member states, has agreed a target to halt biodiversity loss by 2010. The government published the National Biodiversity Plan in 2002, and the Heritage Council has called for increased funding for projects to meet the actions outlined in the plan.