Madam, – How sad to read Michael Durkan’s misinformed conclusions on the so-called tangible benefits of motorways versus the supposedly intangible benefits of biodiversity (March 28th). It may be easier to drive along a four-lane motorway than it is to spot a corncrake or a great yellow bumblebee, but that doesn’t make the benefit of the bird or bee any less tangible.
The economic value of wildlife has been quantified by countless studies. A simple internet search reveals the many millions of euro generated by wildlife tourism, as well as the value of ecosystem services such as crop pollination by bees or natural habitats as flood defences.
Mr Durkan asks what biodiversity has ever done for him; well, he owes his very life to it. What does he think pollinates the crops he eats, provides the oxygen he breathes, keeps disease under control, prevents his home from washing away or purifies the water he drinks? Our flora and fauna are so, so much more than pretty or interesting curios to be looked at. They provide the fabric that makes our existence possible. We have a duty to protect them, not least because if we fail to do so we ourselves run the risk of catastrophe as a species.
The value of biodiversity? “A child of five would understand this, send someone to fetch a child of five” – Groucho Marx. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – Michael Durkan is tempted, in his recent letter (March 28th), to pose the question “What has biodiversity ever done for me?”.
I could not tell from his tone whether or not the question was rhetorical – either way I believe the best answer is a saying traditionally attributed to the Cree Indians: “Only after the last tree has been cut down, Only after the last river has been poisoned, Only after the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten”. – Is mise,