The decline in wildlife throughout the world is shocking and frightening.
Without support, many of the animals and birds we know and love will continue in their declines towards extinction.
Listed in the Isle of Man Government’s application for Biosphere approval, Earystane and its plantation has a huge impact on the biodiversity at a local level here on the island.
A failed crop plantation from the 1960s now provides about 125 acres of outstanding habitat, temperate rainforest conditions and exceptional structure.
Always good for invertebrates, Earystane has retained intact moorland ground flora; a wildlife haven.
This environment gives plants, lichens, fungi, insects, animals, reptiles and birds a home and food that they otherwise would not have had, a positive snowball effect for our beautiful island.
Earystane plantation is 72 hectares (almost 180 acres), consisting of Sitka Spruce, Lodgepole pine, native rowan (cuirn/keirn in Manx Gaelic) and willow.
To note, the UK Government has now started using Sitka Spruce a non-native species, as it is one of the best trees for carbon capture.
Spruce Sitka removes six to 10 tonnes of C02 per acre per year, even if we say only half covered that’s 900 tonnes of C02 absorbed per year. We can’t and we shouldn’t lose this capability.
Hen harriers are a red-listed endangered species. In 2017 only four breeding pairs were left in England.
Thanks to Isle of Man Government foresight and protection they thrive here.
Cuckoos, another red-listed species, travel 5,000 miles to breed here at Earystane.
Britain has lost three quarters of its breeding cuckoos over the last 25 years.
We have to maintain their breeding grounds.
Sadly many bat species around the world are vulnerable or endangered due to loss of habitat. The Isle of Man is home to seven species, why not take an evening walk and see what you can find?
There is a guide available on Isle of Man Government’s Wardens walks.
Peatlands are the largest stores of carbon, and when in a healthy condition they sequester carbon slowly but do so indefinitely.
Of the 17 rare earths, a wind turbine uses about a ton of four of them: neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium.
And even more copper is required for grid transmission.
Nine hundred kilograms of carbon emitted for every ton of cement.
Net position - the question we need our government to answer.
To reach Net Zero by 2050 emissions need to be balanced against removal from the atmosphere.
This is a critical step in getting the world on track to meet the 2015 UNFCCC Paris Agreement, keeping global temperature rise to well below 2C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5C.
To achieve this target global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) will have to fall by around 45% by 2030 (the UK target is 68% by 2030), and reach net zero by 2050.
‘Let storm-winds rejoice, And lift up their voice, No danger our homes can befall; Our green hills and rocks encircle our flocks and keep out the sea like a wall.’
John Corteen
Colby
This letter was first published in the Isle of Man Examiner of August 8.
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