Mayo Greens stand up for wildlife

MEMBERS of Mayo Greens have attended a rally in Dublin to highlight the dramatic loss of the world’s biodiversity.

A recent global report found that we have lost around 60% of our wildlife since 1970.

Loss of habitat, farming practices, deforestation, overfishing, and especially climate change, all man-made problems, are to blame.

The rally took place, rather aptly, at the Natural History Museum and it was called to coincide with a rally in London by the group called 'Extinction Rebellion'.

Many of this group’s UK activists are engaging in a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience as they feel it is the only way to force governments to do anything about climate change.

Mags Sheehan, Green Party candidate in Mayo, says she can empathise with these activists.

“Neither the Irish nor the UK government introduced any policies to combat climate change in their respective budgets.

“On the contrary, here Fine Gael’s so-called Heritage Bill, otherwise known as the ‘slash and burn’ bill, will lead to the loss of food, habitat and nesting areas for many species of birds, mammals and insects in our trees and hedgerows, many of these species already struggling with changes to our weather patterns."

Mags argues that if government doesn’t act people in Ireland will also feel forced “to engage in action like this in order to save our wildlife, our planet and ultimately human life.”

* Mags Sheehan is the Green Party’s candidate for Mayo in the next general election and the Claremorris Municipal District candidate for next year’s local elections.