Press Release
Death by a Thousand Cuts
Illegal hedgerow cutting is detrimental to Irish wildlife and the Irish Wildlife Trust are
appealing to land managers to stop. Hedge cutting continues well into the summer
months but unless for reasons of health and safety this practice is prohibited by the
Wildlife Act from the 1st of March to the 31st of August every year. At this time of
year birds and mammals are breeding and flowering is providing seeds for the next
generation. Despite this is seems that Local Authorities in Ireland only start cutting
hedges in the summer months, creating eye-sores and causing untold destruction to
wildlife.
Hedgerows are essential in providing habitats and corridors for maintaining wildlife
diversity, supporting species such as badgers, owls, hedgehogs, stoats, blackbirds
and innumerable plants, butterflies and other insects. Not only are they an invaluable
reserve for much of our wildlife they are important in providing pollinators, cleaning
our air, defining our landscape, storing carbon and by holding back the flow of water
off land they can alleviate flooding.
'In spite of all these benefits, the Irish hedgerow is suffering "death by a thousand
cuts". They are frequently mismanaged, flayed to within an inch of their existence, or
simply removed during the construction of one-off houses and replaced with invasive
alien cherry laurel "a plant of no value to wildlife.' Commented Padraic Fogarty - IWT
Chairperson.
Each year the IWT encourages the public to report instances of illegal hedgerow
cutting to the IWT, which are followed up with letters to the relevant county council
and the Minister for Environment. Just email the date, location, and if possible the
name of the land manager involved and a photo to enquiries@iwt.ie
ENDS
Contact:
For further information please contact Joanne Pender, IWT Development
Officer Ph: 01 860 2839 or E-mail: enquiries@iwt.ie
Editors Notes:
The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 as a charitable conservation body.
We provide the public with information about wildlife, run education and
training programs like SAC Watch and the Outdoor Classroom Programme,
carry out habitat and species surveys like the IWT National Lizard Survey,
campaign and lobby around biodiversity issues, restore natural habitats,
consult with industry, agriculture and Local Authorities to maintain our natural
heritage and contribute to national and international forums for the protection
of biodiversity. The IWT is a nationwide organisation with a strong
membership base, staff and Board of Directors, with branches in Tipperary,
Clare, Limerick, Waterford and Cork.
