Irish Wildlife

forest Bathing- PArt 1
The essentials
Commit to something you set out to do

It starts with a simple idea. If a person visits nature and walks in a relaxed way they become calm and rejuvenated. There are many restorative benefits to be achieved from this one basic action.

Shinrin-yoku is a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. Researchers primarily in Japan and South Korea have established a robust body of scientific literature on the health benefits of spending time under the canopy of a living forest. Now their research is helping to establish shinrin-yoku and forest therapy throughout the world.

Do you love the idea of full-on sensory immersion in nature during seasonal changes? Try Shinrin-yoku to to increase your communication with the land and its season ebbs and flows.

Do you want to feel refreshed and invigorated by nature? Shinrin-yoku will reduce your stress while improving your mood and increasing your energy.

You may have known this intuitively, but in the past several decades there have been many scientific studies demonstrating the mechanisms behind the healing effects of simply being in wild and natural areas. One example is how many trees give off organic compounds that support our natural killer (NK) cells that are part of our immune system's way of fighting cancer.

These are the benefits of shinrin-yoku that are scientifically-proven so far:

Boosted immune system functioning (such as more NK Cells)
Reduced blood pressure
Reduced stress
Improved mood
Increased ability to focus, even in children with ADHD
Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness
Increased energy level
Improved sleep

This is an impressive list of benefits that come from simply putting yourself in a natural setting, but even more impressive are the results that we personally are experiencing as we make this part of our daily practice. The accumulated scientific benefits of shinrin-yoku lead to benefits in so many areas of long and vital life, including:

Deeper and clearer intuition

Increased capacity to communicate with the land and its species
Overall increase in sense of happiness

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Shinrin-yoku can be broken down into different factors and effects that combined together create the wonderful life giving benefits that this simple practice provides. The four factors of greatest impact are physical, chemical, physiological, and psychological factors:

The physical factors that create the sensation of shinrin-yoku include air temperature, humidity, illuminance, radiant heat, air current, and sounds such as the sound of a waterfall or the whispering of the wind in the trees.

The chemical factors that heal at the microscopic level include volatile organic compounds derived from plants and trees such as alpha-pinene and limonene. These are terpenes including hemiterpenes, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes, also called phytoncides. Your body and mind naturally have positive reactions to these compounds to create healing magic.

Psychological factors determine how we react to forest environments. These factors include reactions such as hot/cold, light/dark, tense/relaxed, beautiful/ugly, good/bad, relaxing/stimulating, quiet/noisy, and plain/colorful.

The physiological effects are based on data obtained from experimental studies including field investigations and laboratory experiments. This studies include investigations on the effect of walking in forests and natural environments on physiological systems in the human body. These experiments study the effect of forest environments on the central nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, psychological responses, the endocrine system (stress hormones), and the immune system (including NK cell activity).

The many factors that contribute to the benefits of forest bathing can be boiled down to interpreting the natural environment through the 5 senses. Forest bathing richly embraces all 5 senses simultaneously in the following ways.

Vision

Tests have indicated that when we delightfully watch the sights of nature while walking in a beautiful forest we experience decreases in blood pressure and heart rate. The sights of nature reduce prefrontal activity in the brain. We experience this reduced activity with feelings of calmness and happy elation. These benefits have been tested to be more effective while in the forests than from just viewing pictures and videos of woodlands.

Smell

We associate scents with instincts, memories of emotions, and preferences when making choices. Within the forests we breath in fine airborne particles called phytoncides that are emitted from tree leaves. Similar to vision, forest breathing and smelling causes blood pressure decreases and prefrontal activity to slow down. Anxiety and depression is also released and our minds works more efficiently.
Touch

We love to hug trees, don't we? And what about the warm sun on your back and wind in your hair? This curiosity and connection with trees and nature has proven scientific benefits. When we hug trees it reduces blood pressure, releases anxiety and elevates happiness.

Taste

Have you noticed that food tastes better outside? We love our picnics and barbeques because we have them outside. Eating in nature provides us with an indescribable euphoria. This euphoria is ingrained into us from our foraging ancestors and deep connection to mother Earth.

Sound

The sounds of a trickling stream and the rustle of a gentle breeze moving through the leaves are universally soothing. These natural sounds have been found to calm blood pressure, regulate heart beat and decrease unnecessary brain activity.

Any time you feel the burdens of modern life bearing down on your soul, you always have the most simple often. Get out, go outside, explore the gifts that the natural has given you and reap the wonderful benefits of the simple activity of being in nature. Bathe in the forest and allow your being to be nourished by nature.

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apart from the politicians, there are no snakes in ireland

Apart from the Politicians, there are no snakes in Ireland!

Following the last Ice Age, Ireland split off from the European land mass before Great Britain did. The snakes that recolonised Britain didn't arrive until it was too late

Ireland is home to two species of land dwelling reptile, the viviparous lizard and the slow worm. The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, is a native Irish reptile

The common lizard, which is often confused with newts in sightings. A key identifier is the more 'snake like' head. It is more prevelant around the costal areas, but sightings have occured all over Ireland

The slow worm looks like a snake bit is actually a legless reptile it can be found in the Burren area of Clare basking on the karst surface

One theory is that the slow worm was introduced by new age travellers who kept them as pets with a few escaping to establish small populations in the wild

During the Celtic Tiger economic bubble, snakes were popular pets and after the crash, the cost of upkeep lead some to being released to the wild

Otter AdventureS

I have been lucky enough to experience elusive otters in Ireland twice so far. Once at very close and unexpected quarters gliding majestically and silently on the river Laune near Killarney and another time out of my hotel window in the Ice House Hotel in Sligo.

The first time otter swam close roughly 5 metres from me as I walked along the bank, calmly viewing me before it sank silently amid the tangled mass of submerged tree roots. I was immediately addicted to this elusive mammal and sought to try to view more in the wild.

After another encounter of an otter from my glass panorama of my hotel bed in the Ice House Hotel in Sligo, I was hooked.
When I first started working on the Dodder Otter survey for the IWT Dublin, our team of volunteers spent hours walking the banks around the bridges along the Dublin river recording typical signs of otters such as spraint and tracks.

We found definitive evidence of otters amongst us in our urban area. My commitment this time was driven not just by my affinity with this mustelid but by the need to record solid data about their presence on the river. Why did I feel this way?

At the time, a proposed cycle track was being proposed for the Dodder and I quickly realised that our hours spent scouring the banks and soft mud of the river could be used as data in an EIS in relation to a planned cycleway. What we were doing on a volunteer basis could affect a larger scheme of development.

It should be an epiphany for all conservationists, that the passion we have for nature and the data we can collect can be utilised and be part of a collaborative effort to monitor and protect our natural heritage. What we do individually does make a difference. I am inspired by Fergal Ó Cuinneagáin whose one man battle has helped preserve the precarious Corncrake on his farm in Mayo. As Ghandi said, 'Be the change you want to see in the world.'
I now have bought a trail camera and am attempting to record otter activity at known sprainting sites along the Dodder.

I am happy to report that today, I captured my first image of an otter under a famous Dodder bridge. What next for my ongoing search for this beautiful elusive creature? Perhaps, I will follow the work done by Galway branch IWT in taking samples of spraint and getting genetic analysis done. My great otter adventure is clearly just beginning.

The Mammal Atlas maps almost a quarter of a million sightings of 72 species of marine and terrestrial mammal. It brings together data from 57 different datasets, and includes more than 15,000 records that were submitted directly to the Data Centre from 2,400 different recorders over the five years of the data collection phase. All of these records have been extremely valuable in building up a comprehensive picture of the distribution of mammals in Ireland. It has been a very large collaborative project, and would not have been possible to produce without the contribution and support of a large number of people and organisations.

The Mammal Atlas runs to over 200 pages and has chapters on the Origins of mammals in Ireland, Mammal research in Ireland, Legislation and wild mammals in Ireland, Advances in mammal studies using genetic analysis, and Future outlook for mammals in Ireland. The main part of the Atlas are the Species Accounts of 72 terrestrial and marine mammals, written by 42 leading experts in Ireland. They provide information on the identification, distribution, habitat, ecology and population of each species, and presents two distribution maps showing the pre 2010 and 2010-2015 distribution. Other features include a chart showing the distribution of sightings broken down by month, and the Red List Status. I attach an example of both a terrestrial and marine mammals to give you an idea of what the final publication will look like.

The number of records that were submitted for inclusion in the Mammal Atlas far exceeded our expectations, but we now have a very solid baseline of mammal distribution in Ireland and its marine waters, to serve as a benchmark against which future changes can be tracked.

National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Heritage Council have contributed very generously to the publication costs of the Atlas, so we are able to keep the cost of the A4 hardback Atlas to €25 (plus postage and packaging). This can be ordered directly from the Data Centre

Seasonal sights

An Overview of Dublin City’s Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variability amongst living organisms from all sources which includes diversity within and between different species, and ecosystems. Dublin City’s biodiversity consists of the wildlife and habitats located at North Bull Island, and also along the city’s coastline. Dublin biodiversity further includes Phoenix Park, rivers, canals and their riparian zones. Dublin supports à lot of legally-protected habitats along its coastline.

Invasive species of diverse living organisms, climate change issues such as global warming, the loss of habitats, environmental pollution, and anthropogenic activities, all collude to threaten Dublin’s biodiversity. Preserving Dublin’s biodiversity would require a combination of various approaches such as direct and appropriate management of the city’s biodiversity at both local and regional levels, as well as being able to identify and protect conservation high value areas in the city. This methods would also require going ‘green’, and stimulating awareness amongst the citizenry as regards their orientation towards biodiversity.

Dublin has over 750 public parks and green spaces, covering an estimated 1400 hectares of land. Private gardens make up one-quarter of the city’s land mass. Due to its propensity for harbouring invasive species as a result of too many pathways that lead into the city, the Dublin City Council is saddled with the responsibility of monitoring and controlling the influx of invasive alien species of living organisms. The National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC), is the national organization in charge of collating, managing, analyzing, and disseminating data on Ireland’s biodiversity.

In line with the outcome of UNESCO’s review of the Dublin Bay Biosphere sometime between 2012 and 2014, the Dublin Bay Biosphere Partnership has been established for the management of the Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve. The Partnership/MOU consists of Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Dublin Port Company, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

In all, the Dublin City Biodiversity Action Plan is not just restricted to the preservation of biodiversity in Dublin City alone. It is actually part of a grand objective to conserve the global biodiversity.

Tweets by @treegreenwood

Books

This book outlines the history of the rabbit industry in Ireland, especially in the first half of the 20th century (and later) and the impact it made on the people involved.
In Ireland, the rabbit was an important source of meat for hundreds of thousands of Irish families throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.

Complete Irish Wildlife describes almost all the mammals, birds, fish and butterflies of Ireland likely to be encountered by the keen amateur naturalist, as well as all the common and widespread flowers, trees and shrubs.