Horizons

Conservation Volunteers Ireland (CVI) is encouraging St Valentine's Day gift seekers to give their loved one a tree on Wednesday as a symbolic and enduring testament to their undying love. You can buy native Irish trees directly from CVI or from a list of stockists available from CVI. Meanwhile, belated congratulations to CVI, who, in association with the Tree Council of Britain, broke the Guinness world record for the most trees planted over three days. Approximately 2,500 trees were planted throughout the country between November 24th and 26th, 2000. Tel: 014547185. E-mail: info@cvi.ie

If you are in and around St Stephen's Green, Dublin over the next two weeks, pop into the Office of Public Works headquarters at number 51 to catch the current exhibition of Irish church architecture, Sacred Places/Ionadaithe Naofa. A collaborative project between the Royal Institute of Architects and the Royal Society of Ulster Architects, the show offers a snapshot of Christian architecture in Ireland over the past 2,000 years. It includes about 100 drawings and photographs as well as models and replica artefacts from some of the churches featured. Sacred Places, which has already been shown in Belfast, is open from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. weekdays until February 28th. Admission free.

A little advance notice for environmentalists who want to find out how global climate change is affecting birds in Ireland. The all-Ireland conference entitled "Climate Change and Bird Migration" goes ahead in Bangor, Co Down, from March 9th to 11th. The keynote address, on how climate change is reflected in treering growth, will be given by Prof Mike Bailey of Queen's University. Other talks include one on traditional beliefs about bird migration by Dublin-based environmentalist and broadcaster, Eanna Ni Lamhna. There will also be trips to key birding sites such as Belfast Lough. Booking details from RSPB Northern Ireland HQ, Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QT. Tel: 048-90491547.

Birdwatch Ireland is currently looking for volunteers to aid in the counting of seabird colonies on west-coast cliffs and islands; nesting gulls on inland lakes and urban roof-nesting gulls. This spring and summer mark the end of a three-year project. The methods of counting are straightforward and even relatively inexperienced birdwatchers can help. If you fit the bill, contact Stephen Newton at Ruttledge House, 8 Longford Place, Monkstown, Co Dublin before the end of March. Tel: 01-2804322.

The recent earthquake in western India was yet another poignant reminder of how, in spite of all our technological and scientific advances, we still cannot accurately predict when and where such natural disasters will occur in order to limit their devastating consequences. Following the earthquake in northern Turkey last year, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) together with the International Council on Sites and Monuments and the Turkish Ministry of Culture, organised a conference to investigate the durability of different architectural structures during earthquakes. They were particularly interested in the fact that during the Turkish earthquake many brick-and-timber houses constructed using traditional methods remained standing while buildings made with modern reinforced concrete collapsed. Questions were asked about whether, by importing reinforced-concrete construction methods into areas of high seismic risk, traditional construction methods (which are better adapted to such areas) may have been overlooked. Kashmir, in northern India, was cited as one region where vernacular architecture has evolved in response to the seismic environment. There, two types of traditional brick-and-masonry construction with anti-seismic qualities were used until quite recently. The buildings in which less mortar was used to bond the masonry and large horizontal timbers, tended to sway rather than crack under pressure. One expert, quoted in the UNESCO journal, Sources, said such vernacular architecture could provide a wealth of information to present and future generations on how buildings can be better constructed to withstand earthquakes.

Finally, Greenspacers, an environmental play performed by Tallaght Youth Theatre, is back by popular demand in the Tallaght Theatre, Greenhills Road, Tallaght from Tuesday to Saturday at 8.30 p.m. Written and directed by Margaret Callen, Greenspacers is the result of a series of environmental awareness workshops in secondary schools in this part of south Dublin. Admission is free but pre-booking is essential. Tel: 01-4516322.

Web World

www.iwt.ie

This is the official website of the Irish Wildlife Trust. It acts wonderfully as both a point of contact (with opportunities to join, check out affiliated groups and link up with many other conservation bodies in Ireland) and a fact-finding resource. There is lots of detail on the Irish Wildlife Trust's campaign to ensure the conservation of the proposed Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), its Save the Badger campaign and its continuing work on Irish hedgerows. I'm also reliably informed that updates on the new Wildlife (Amendment) Act (2000) and National Biodiversity Plan will soon be posted.

The Horizons column can be contacted at horizons@irish-times.ie