Child Slavery A Persecution of the Poor and Helpless: WICKLOW WILDLIFE HABITATS LOST TO MALICIOUSLY SET WILDFIRES

Friday, 17 April 2020

WICKLOW WILDLIFE HABITATS LOST TO MALICIOUSLY SET WILDFIRES

An appeal has been issued for people not to set hill fires, as experts say that hundreds of acres of land across the Wicklow Mountains have been destroyed due to gorse fires. It is believed that the natural habitat of a large number of creatures have been destroyed as a result of the fires, and the head of Wicklow Fire Service has said there is little doubt that the fires were started illegally. Aidan Dempsey said given the Covid-19 issues, it is "doubly frustrating" to be sending crews and the Air Corps out to fight fires which he said "are not accidental". The fire chief said that "there is nobody out there" and Gardaí were patrolling the Wicklow uplands to turn back people who could be breaching the coronavirus restrictions.

Mr Dempsey said the fires are "being caused maliciously" rather than accidentally by people who are tourists or using the mountains for recreational purposes.

In recent weeks, a number of fires have been burning despite a Department of Agriculture Condition Orange Fire warning in place.

The department, fire services and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have all appealed to people, in particular farmers- not to set hill fires at this time.

The fires have been concentrated in an area along the line of the Wicklow Gap, from Valleymount to Laragh.

Helicopters have been drafted in to help fight the fires and it is impacting the resources of the Parks and Wildlife Service, the fire service, Gardaí and the Air Corps. Hundreds upon hundreds of hectares are impacted and dramatic pictures of the fires have emerged.

Ground nesting birds have had their nests or young destroyed and experts say it will take years for the habitats to recover.

Also Read: WALES: Coronavirus: Deliberate grass fires 'causing chaos' in virus.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-52308554

https://surviving-wildfire.extension.org/wildfire-and-wildlife-habitat/

Wesley Atkinson from the National Parks and Wildlife Service has said that vast areas of land in the Wicklow uplands have been devastated.

BRAY HEAD: NOTE TREES IN THE BACKGROUND

DESTROYED BY FIRE ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO NEVER RECOVERED

"You've got species like Grouse that are ground nesting with no cover. In recent days I saw Queen Bubble Bees flying around looking for their nests, which are gone. I have seen lizards burned up," he said.

Mr Atkinson said there is "now nothing in these areas to support these species," adding that the scale of the damage "is massive, huge areas of habitat have been sterilised for a number of years".

Farmers are allowed to burn lands at certain times, but it is not permitted at present.

Anyone found setting fires can be prosecuted under the Wildlife Act, and both the Department of Agriculture and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have both appealed to people not to set fires.

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