DistantNews
Support us
‘What was a beautiful habitat now is black soot’: Ireland’s wildfires devastate wildlife
🇮🇪 Ireland /Disasters & Emergencies

‘What was a beautiful habitat now is black soot’: Ireland’s wildfires devastate wildlife

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Wildfires in Ireland have devastated wildlife and habitats, though they did not threaten human life as severely as in other European countries.
  • Fires, particularly large gorse fires, have destroyed over 300 hectares in areas like Wicklow Mountains National Park, leaving behind black soot and impacting air quality.
  • Critically endangered species like hen harriers and ground-nesting birds such as curlews and snipes are severely affected, losing nests, shelter, and food sources.

Ireland's recent wildfires, while not posing the same direct threat to human life as blazes in France and Spain, have inflicted devastating damage on the country's wildlife and natural habitats.

We aren’t quite sure of the size of it – we’ve measured it so many times – but it is well over 300 hectares now.

— Damian ClarkeManager of Wicklow Mountains National Park, describing the scale of a large blaze.

Firefighters have been battling significant fires, including a large blaze at Slievenamon in Co Tipperary and extensive gorse fires near Glencree in Co Wicklow and the Comeragh Mountains in Co Waterford. Damian Clarke, manager of Wicklow Mountains National Park, reported that one fire alone has burned well over 300 hectares. The fires have created immense smoke, impacting air quality for nearby towns, and the lingering smoldering peat poses a risk of contaminating water sources when rain eventually comes.

I have never seen a smokier fire. People in Bray and Greystones could smell it, people in Blessington too. So the air quality has taken a serious knock.

— Damian ClarkeDescribing the impact of smoke from the fires on local communities.

The ecological toll is substantial. Clarke described seeing badger sets destroyed and hares and deer wandering through burnt landscapes. "What was a beautiful habitat, now it is just black soot," he stated, noting that any non-mobile or flightless creatures would have perished. The destruction of vegetation, including moss and heather, eliminates essential shelter and food for wildlife.

It is still smouldering. It is like a large turf fire – peat briquettes.

— Damian ClarkeExplaining the nature of the ongoing fire and its potential to contaminate water.

Conservationists are particularly alarmed about the impact on vulnerable species. Oisín Ó Néill of the Irish Wildlife Trust highlighted the immediate threat to mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, which form a crucial food source for birds. Oonagh Duggan of Birdwatch Ireland expressed grave concern for hen harriers, an amber-listed species already in significant decline, warning they could face extinction in Ireland within 25 years. Ground-nesting birds like curlews and snipes are losing their nests, and larger mammals are losing vital shelter and food sources.

You’d wonder how they’d survive in there.

— Damian ClarkeExpressing concern over badger sets being burnt.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog