BOOK REVIEW

Whittled Away 
– Ireland’s Vanishing Nature
​ By Pádraic Fogarty

Buy here, from The Irish Wildlife Trust ( IWT )

Review by Petra

On the west coast of Ireland, we are lucky to have some of the most amazing coastlines, old mountains and stretches of bog. And it is not only us who are aware of this: people from all over the world come to see the 'Irish Wilderness'. The message of the book’s subtitle surely could not be right? You can drive for miles without seeing anyone, just sheep, expanses of bog and blue lakes. On the surface, Ireland seems to be relatively unspoiled when you look at the rural landscapes like the Burren, Killarney National Park, and, of course, Connemara.


The author, Pádraic Fogarty, is showing us in this book how the failure to protect the landscape has affected the country. He is an ecologist and environmental scientist. He has been the chairman of the Irish Wildlife Trust, and is currently the campaign officer for the ‘Irish Wildlife’ magazine. The Irish have always had a strong connection to the land, yet there seems to be a reluctance to spring into action when it is needed most.


The country has lost important parts of its landscape: from the traditional bogs, to the plethora of fish in the sea, not to mention all the animals that left or became extinct through habitat loss. Because Ireland is only a relatively small island, there is a small biodiversity. However, the country owns around 20 % of European waters and so the sea is extremely important in Ireland's history, but there has been little in the way of protection of the waters. Some species of fish, e. g. herring and mackerel, were never properly protected, or, if they were, it was too late. As dramatic as this is, not all hope is lost. For example, through correct legislation Norway managed to bring fish back from their low numbers. Moving to Ireland’s interior, it is startling to realise that the only National Park with a proactive approach to conservation is the Burren.


In all of the other parks, there is bad or no management, which results in habitat loss for flora and fauna, or changes of the landscape beyond its original form. Being a National Park in name only is not enough: Nature has evolved to survive but yet the human influence is so pervasive in Ireland, and the economic pressures so fierce, that without an active system of protecting and managing areas for wildlife the decline in our natural heritage will continue. (p. 85) The author, Pádraic Fogarty, points out how important animals and plants are to a landscape, but in order to save them, it is essential to save the landscape they live in.


If the landscape recovers, there is a good chance that the flora and fauna will return. Throughout the book, there are examples of specific animals that have particularly suffered, and the most extensive example is on the laws on badger culling. It gives you a good insight into how the government operates. Badgers are being culled because they can carry bovine TB. Despite this, bovine TB is not on the decrease. Nevertheless, the government is holding on to the opinion that they're on track with eradicating TB, just to keep up the appearance of doing something. There are more effective ways of stopping TB, but there is not enough commitment. And an innocent animal has to suffer for it.

Nevertheless, Pádraic finishes the book on a positive note with the wilding project in Co. Mayo: Wild Nephin. Here he shows us that it is possible to put the right laws in place and work with nature in order to let us all benefit: from the plants and the animals, the landscape itself, and the people. This book could easily be a sad and depressing account of the current state and the future of our nature. However, that is not the case: for every problem, Pádraic points us to a potential solution and a way to turn the damage done around. It was a stark realisation for me that whenever something 'looks' wild, it doesn't necessarily mean it 'is' wild.

Summary
​This book is a must-read for everyone with an interest in nature and conservation. The writing style is very accessible and the subject matter is easy to understand, but what makes this book stand out is its hopeful message as well as the proactive approach to the habitat loss, to the vanishing flora and fauna and to the over-farming of land. We are given a solution to all of these problems, not by a dreamer and idealist, but by a man in the know. If anything, this book will fire your love for the fabulous nature surrounding us, and caution you to never take such beauty for granted.