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The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is a national conservation charity. In recent years we have highlighted the devastating effects that illegal wildfires have on our countryside and wildlife. This year we are urging people to contact us with details of where, and when, wildfires are occurring. We intend to establish a database to monitor the extent and duration of wildfires in order to monitor these trends in future years.
IWT Campaign Officer Pádraic Fogarty says “2015 seemed like a particularly bad year for wildfires with many of our upland areas and national parks badly damaged. However we don’t have the figures to say how bad it really was. This year, so far, there seem to have been fewer, perhaps due to the weather. Collecting data on when and when fires are occurring will help us to monitor the impact of fires into the future.”
Illegal, wild fires, especially during the bird nesting season, destroy local wildlife habitats, cause pollution to air and water, release tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, and are driving species to extinction. They are also a threat to human life and property. Over 17,000 people have signed a petition against extending the burning and hedge cutting season, showing that people want this practice to stop.
People are urged to email us on irishwildlife@iwt.ie with the date and location of fires and a photo or video is possible.
Image courtesy of Norman McCloskey