Reshape the mountain

matt

irish wildlife trust

Rewilding provides hope that nature can recover if only we can give it the space and time it needs. But how far can we go? Can we bring bears back to Ireland? And what about the people who live in these places? Can they be the leaders of the rewilding movement?

Episode 9: Bear Country + Epilogue

The book “Whittled Away” (available from CollinsPress.ie) by Pádraic Fogarty, charts how the failure to manage Ireland's natural resources has impoverished our country. But all is not lost as he also reveals the possibilities for the future.
The book launch took place in JW Sweetmans on Dublin’s Burgh Quay as part of the Irish Wildlife Trust’s “Green Drinks” event which occurs on the first Tuesday of each month. 
Here, the author gives a talk about the book after an introduction by writer and broadcaster Ella McSweeney.

Whittled Away Book Launch

Shaping New Mountains gets to the heart of our biodiversity emergency in Ireland by examining our values and the myth of our separation from nature. It looks at six big ideas for bringing nature back to our towns, countryside, seas and lives. It urges us to see the connections that bind everything together, and argues for a new understanding of our place in the natural world.

Shaping New Mountains Introduction

Episode 1 of Shaping New Mountains asks why, if all the birds were to vanish from Ireland tomorrow, would we not be more materially impacted? If all our ecosystems have collapsed why is nature all around us?

Episode 1: In the END

How is that we have seen the destruction of nature as not only an unfortunate side effect of development but even a necessary prerequisite for maintain our economy? How can it be that we are seemingly oblivious to the fact that we are surrounded by collapsed ecosystems?

Episode 2: The Heart of the Matter

We have all the science we need in order to act on the climate and biodiversity emergency. We have signed up to enough laws and treaties that, if we were to act on them, we would be well on our way to restoring nature and decarbonising our economy. But one thing that has lagged far behind is our values. If we are to make the changes needed we will need an ethical revolution.

Episode 3: Restoring Connections

Ireland was once 80% temperate rainforest but today that figure stands at less than 2% and that is made up of tiny fragments which are widely scattered. Yet, the trees could come back. All we need to do is let them.

Episode 4: the Wild Atlantic Rain Forest

Can cities like Dublin be part of the solution to the ecological crisis? Can we throw the doors open to nature so that we have urban forests, wetlands and marine protected areas? Most of us live in cities and creating new connections with nature is central to healthier living and greater resilience in the face of climate breakdown.