Farming is deeply embedded in Ireland's culture, society and economy. Yet it is under pressure from many directions, just like the critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel. Can we restore populations of the mussel while at the same time building greater resilience in farming communities?
The oceans around Ireland are vast and, not so long ago, they were bursting with fish and other sea life. Could a plan to create Ireland's first marine park, a conservation areas for sharks off the north coast of Donegal and Derry, also revive the coastal and island fishing communities that have suffered as a result of dwindling sea life?
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.
Ireland was once 80% temperate rain forest 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.
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.
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 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 our ecosystems have collapsed, why is nature all around us?
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.