Sir, - In recent weeks flooding and water pollution have featured regularly in the news. Some shellfish farmers have complained of stock losses due to silting as heavy sediment loads have come down rivers and covered their crops. One aspect hardly covered has been the role of wetlands as a buffer against such problems. A wetland acts as a sponge which soaks up heavy rains, releasing water slowly. It can also take up and retain nutrients, especially phosphates, preventing eutrophication of waters downstream. A river with bends and reed bed banks will flow more slowly and allow much of the sand and silt to settle before reaching the sensitive shellfish areas in estuaries. Apart from these downstream considerations, wetlands such as salt marshes have the highest productivity of any natural system in Europe. The majority of coastal animals, including fish, depend on wetlands for some stage of their life cycle.
After five years of living abroad, I can see a massive reduction of coastal and river bank wetlands. Almost every wetland I have revisited near a resort, town or coastal village has been partly filled in, many with builders' rubble or rubbish. Drainage which seemed to have halted five years ago is taking off again.
The communication on Wise Use and Conservation of Wetlands produced by the European Commission Environment Directorate (1995) recommended no net loss of wetlands and a major effort to raise public awareness. The document was passed to Council, where it was again discussed and agreed by the Council of Ministers. There is an urgent need for the Celtic Tiger to consider the more water-loving creatures also found in old script.
Anyone in Ireland can go out and "reclaim" wetland as no planning permission is required (except in NPWS designated areas). Even when a farmer joins the REPS scheme, he must undertake to keep drains in good condition, instead of the scheme being selective and reviewing which drains should be retained and where a recreation of the old wetland may actually bring much greater benefits.
In parallel with a wetland policy including a strong information campaign, we need to integrate wetland protection measures into current action. The new government pollution control package proposed in the wake of fish kills is welcome action. But it cannot deal with diffuse pollution, silting and flooding problems without addressing wetlands. Yours, etc.,
International Coordinator, CWE Network, Dublin 2.