Biodiversity may sound like a buzz word but the reality is that it means all life on Earth - from the smallest micro-organism to the largest mammal and the tallest tree. It covers all ecosystems and habitats which shows how all life is connected and dependent on each other for survival, including us humans. Humans are the biggest threat to biodiversity. It is said that over 30% of habitats in Ireland are in decline. We know that agriculture is a significant contributory factor but all the blame cannot be put on farmers. Farmers are doing their bit to help biodiversity and have shown that they will adapt their farming practices to help protect ecosystems and habitats. I and others have been critical of the ACRES, for instance, but my criticism is of the Minister and how the Department has made a shambles of implementing the scheme. The basis of the scheme is good and there is a lot of good work being done by farmers to improve biodiversity through the scheme, which is building on the work of previous schemes like GLAS and REPS. I also want to mention another project that is taking place in my constituency in County Leitrim - the EU Horizon wetlands conservation project is taking place on Cuilcagh-Anierin mountain range known local as Sliabh Anierin and Bencroy. Until the 1990s coal was mined in Bencroy. I know some old men in my community who still talk about the coal mines there. The coal was used to run the Arigna ESB power station, which was nearby. It is fitting that we are now giving something back to the mountain by helping to restore the peatlands on top of the mountain, which were devastated throughout that time, and the forestry since then as well. Thousands of acres of bog on top of the mountain were planted with Sitka spruce. The Cuilcagh-Anierin is a special area of conservation, SAC, and one of Ireland's largest upland blanket bogs. Pressure stemming from erosion and drainage have damaged the SAC site that encompasses more than 9,700 ha, 11 habitats and seven protected species. The restoration project includes three main actions - erosion control, drain management and invasive species removal. The main invasive species is Sitka spruce trees. The aim is to help vegetation to grow on the bare peat, helping to reduce carbon loss and restore the natural habitat. This mountain is grazed by sheep. It should be noted that sheep are part of the habitat. They help to keep the vegetation in check so that one species does not take over, thereby contributing to the biodiversity in the area. I commend the work that has been done by the farmers in this area and I wish them well as the project continues. I want to mention two other issues that have a big impact on biodiversity. The first is flooding. I speak to farmers all the time who are in areas that get flooded. When flooding happens, every septic tank and town and village water treatment system is washed out across the land and into the rivers. I have also spoken to farmers who told me they were in conservation projects to conserve rare birds in the Shannon Callows and when the floods happen the nests are just washed down the river. All the work that has been done to preserve biodiversity is destroyed when we have flooding. That is a major problem. The second issue relates to landslides. We had a major landslide in County Leitrim on Shass Mountain. It washed thousands of acres of peat down the mountain, flooded farmland and destroyed the whole area. All of that was because of the wrong type of forestry on the top of the mountain. The bog land on the top of the mountain was drained and it created a mess.

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That mess continues to this day. The actions of the Government on the one side can often damage biodiversity on the other side.

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