The Case for Rewilding Ireland: A Practical and Evidence Based Case for Returning Land to Nature.

Ireland is a small island situated on the west coast of Europe. It has a population of 5.3 million inhabitants. The country is widely recognised for its contribution to tourism, farming, horse breeding, music, sport and literature.

Regarding biodiversity, climate change and rewilding, many inhabitants hold the view that we are too small to matter and should therefore be left alone to mind our own business.

However, the reality on the ground is very different. Per capita, Ireland is among the worst performers in Europe, producing approximately 10 to 11 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the second highest rate in the EU. Ireland also ranks in the bottom 10% globally for biodiversity intactness, with wildlife continuing to decline, mainly due to habitat loss. Most of our freshwater lakes and rivers are in poor condition. Our aggressively intensified farming practices are heavily reliant on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Some experts claim that if current chemically intensive agricultural practices continue, we may have only around one hundred harvests remaining.