iblog

Anna: County Clare, in the west of Ireland, is home to a superior residence built especially for bats. The structure, constructed two years ago, cost the taxpayer 175,000 euros, roughly £120,000, and was built alongside the route of the Ennis by-pass. Conservationists hoped that it would attract a sizeable number of Lesser Horseshoe Bats, but 24 months on there isn’t a single bat to be found at the site.

The local County Council has kept the exact location of the house a secret, concerned about the prospect of disturbance to this rare species. The bat house was intended to provide more than simply a safe haven for the bat population, and this is why the scientific community is doubly disappointed. Technology, including infra-red sensors and a specially installed telephone line for data download, was intended to provide scientists with crucial data about the movements and behaviour of the protected species. The bats obviously have other ideas, spurning the house in favour of other roosting and breeding locations.

The diminutive Lesser Horseshoe Bat is a protected species under EU law. Present in the south-west of England and throughout Wales, the bat is found in the six western counties of Ireland - Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Limerick and Mayo. Habitat disruption and renovation of favoured roosting spots, such as outhouses, stables and old houses, have seen a decline in numbers in recent decades. Undisturbed sites for winter hibernation are also important, but under threat. The Irish population currently stands at an estimated 9,500 bats, according to Bat Conservation Ireland, a charity concerned with the conservation of Ireland’s bats.

As is the case with all major UK infrastructure projects, the company contracted to build the Ennis by-pass (GAMA Construction), was required carry out detailed surveys of all the plant and animal species on the route. Protected species, among them the Lesser Horseshoe, require special measures. In this case, the construction of a bespoke bat-house, which conservationists believed would lessen the impact of the road on the bats. Sadly, environmental consultant Howard Williams of Inis Environmental Services, has found no proof that this is the case. Commissioned to assess the effectiveness of the mitigation, he confirmed in his recent report that there had been no sign of bats over the last year, both inside and outside the structure.

Mr Williams believed the site had great potential:

In short, the information we will be able to analyse at this location will give us the best opportunity ever of understanding the lesser Horseshoe Bat in Ireland.

He had, however, not given up hope that the bats would eventually move in to their luxury lodging. Work is nearing completion on a stretch of hedging which will connect the bat house with another known roosting location:

More bats will be searching out foraging areas and will inevitably find the Old Schoolhouse and more importantly, the New Build Bat House.

Many people will be unaware that the August Bank Holiday weekend is also European Bat Weekend 2007! Let’s hope the bats realise the occasion, and deem it a suitable moving in date…

Anna: Stanfords is the UK’s leading specialist retailer of maps and travel books. Founded in 1853 by Edward Stanford there is, however, nothing old-fashioned about the comapny’s approach to environmental policy. Stanfords has recently announced that it will be recycling all materials from its stores in London and Bristol. In addition, company staff are entitled to an extra day of annual leave is they are taking a trip to Europe and opt to travel in a sustainable way. The policy is designed to encourage Stanfords workers to take the train or the bus, rather than relying on air travel.

Stanfords’ flagship store in Covent Garden is a delightful place to while away an afternoon, and claims to offer the world’s largest stock of maps and travel books under one roof. Natural, then, that staff should catch the travel bug and want to indulge their Wanderlust by taking foreign trips. It’s a simple idea to reward workers who make that journey in a sustainable way by providing additional annual leave, but one which is effective.

Justin Francis, co-founder of www.responsibletravel.com, spells out the stark realities of our penchant for jet-setting:

The simple fact is that aviation is the fastest growing cause of global warming. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted by air travel doubled between 1990 and 2004. That is totally incompatible with the need to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2050.

Yet with falling air fares, and even recent deals which saw budget operators paying taxes on behalf of customers, it has never been easier or more tempting to jet off to Europe for a short break. Sir Michael Bishop, Chairman of airline BMI, said:

“Today, air travel is a natural part of the daily lives of millions of people,” adding that “in 1986, only 75 million people travelled through Britain’s airports. Last year, more than three times that number did so. It is a simple example of the benefits of choice and competition.

And while cost is no longer a real constraint on short-haul, instead it is time which is at a premium, which further discourages the public from taking greener, but slower forms of transport to reach their destination. This is what makes the Stanfords initiative so clever. Rather than jumping on the carbon-offsetting bandwagon, Stanfords are encouraging employees to think about their impact on the environment. The company is also, crucially, stumping up the cash to pay for the extra annual leave entitlement, thus facilitating and rewarding the eco-credentials of its staff.

Anna: Thursday 8th June saw the official opening in Rwanda of a huge, green energy power station. As German President Angela Merkel persuaded EU leaders to commit to greenhouse gas cuts, a small African nation was making an environmental statement of its own. The solar power plant is the biggest on the African continent, and has been built with the help of Merkel’s compatriots. Specifically, with support from Germany’s Federal State of Rhineland Palatinate.

Inaugurated by Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, the plant is capable of producing 250 kilowatts, which boosts the landlocked nation’s electricity generating capacity to 50 megawatts. This seems like small fry compared to a plant like Drax, the UK’s biggest coal-fired power station, which has a huge output capacity of 4,000 megawatts. But Rwanda’s energy needs are also far more modest, and by building in renewable energy sources at an early stage, the country will reduce the need for fossil fuels in the future. As a small country, it’s especially important for Rwanda to avoid over-reliance on more resource-rich nations in order to safeguard long-term energy security and enable development.

“In 2004, we (Rwanda) experienced a major power crisis brought about by the falling of water levels in our water bodies and this was at a time when Rwanda had set the pace of development,” said Kagame. He also felt international co-operation on energy issues was a key priority.

The plant itself is sited at Jali hill in Gasabo District, part of central Rwanda’s Kigali Ngali province. Funding for the project came from both the Rhineland Palatinate, which has been supporting Rwandan projects for a quarter of a century, and Stadtwerke Mainz, a German energy company. Together, they ploughed around 1 million Euros into the project. The remaining 200,000 Euros needed for the plant were provided by Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure.

Currently, more than 80% of Africa’s population does not have a regular electricity supply. With much of the continent lying in the equatorial zone, daylight is limited to about 12 hours per day. A lack of electricity makes simple tasks impossible after dark, with a knock-on effect on efficiency and productivity. It is perhaps only with regard to energy that Africa, after 6pm, remains a dark continent!

Achim Steiner, of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is positive about the future, pointing out that “the continent is rich in renewable resources which can benefit the majority of people within a few years.'’ However, he does warn that the continent risks being left behind in an increasingly energy-demanding world economy. Access to computers and the internet could be a key factor in Africa’s development, and corporations are queueing up to design and donate “the one hundred dollar laptop”. But without electricity, such initiatives become unsustainable gimmicks.

Yet there is little reason why Africa should lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to energy. Endowed with limitless sunshine, vast lakes and rivers, the continent could be a showcase for renewable energy generation. Rwanda’s solar power plant is hopefully the first in a long line of initiatives which harness Africa’s natural riches for the benefit of her own people.