Horizons

Just 13 years ago, you could hear the distinctive call of the corncrake in every county in Ireland. There was a population of about 1,000 birds who migrated here form Africa in mid-April and stayed right through the summer until mid-October. Now, you can only hear corncrakes in Co Donegal, west Connacht and in the Shannon Callows region. At the Shannon Callows natural hertitage site for the corncrake, numbers are down to 50 this year from about 100 last year. The corncrake project officer with Birdwatch Ireland, Alex Copland, is concerned that outstanding issues about compensation schemes for farmers undertaking corncrake conservation measures are preventing these birds from breeding as well as they should be.

"Delaying mowing and mowing in strips or form the centre outwards and proving early and late cover for corncakes does represent a loss of money for farmers and further compensatory payments are needed," says Copland.

The corncrakes is Ireland's only breeding species listed as breeding threatened with global extinction. The corncrake is already extinct in England and Wales. For more information on the Shannon Calows conservation project, contact Alex Copland at Bird watch Ireland, Banagher, Co Offaly (tel: 0509-51676)

The owner of a private natural history museum and library on Sherkin Island, CO Cork; a committed environmentalist and gardener in Co Donegal; a barn-owl enthusiast - these are some of the individuals who will share their passion for the environment with Ella McSweeney in the coming weeks on Nature's Web (RTE Radio 1, Thursdays at 7.35 p.m.).

In the programme this coming week. Kevin Collins elucidates on the life of barn-owls; Matt Murphy, who has built a marine station on Sherkin Island, talks about his studies of the flora and fauna in the area; and Liz Sheppard notes the wildlife that has returned to her garden since she began to tend it in a more environmentally friendly manner.

McSweeney, who is a zoology graduate from Trinity College Dublin also gives a hearing to a committed beekeeper, a falconer and the creator of a salmon education trust in Bantry, Co Cork. Listen in o Thursday evenings until the end of August.

An exhibition of the winning entries in this year's Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland regional awards in running at the Architecture Centre, 8 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 until the end of July. There were 29 award-winners this year, the highestnumber since the scheme was inaugurated 12 years ago. Theses include the Furniture College, Letterfrack; Cork Opera House; Carlow Tourist Office and Gallery; the Student Centre, UCD, Befield; and the Liffey Boardwalk.

The Architecture Centre is open from Mondays to Friday 9 a.m to 5 p.m, and admission is free. The exhibition will then tour venues around the country.

Dolphin lovers should take note that the Shannon Dolphin Festival at Kilrush, Co Clare goes ahead next week (July 19th to 22nd). Events include a whale roadshow, the launch of Dr Simon Berrow's book on the Shannon dolphins, and children's events.

Tel 065-9052326 for more details or e-mail shannondolphinfestival@eircom.net

Webworld

www.justforests.org

Did you know that the Repulbic is the only country in the EU that hasn't ratified the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species?

It was signed in 1974, but has not yet been ratified. So, according to this site, Ireland still imports the equivalent of 25 acres of tropical wood from Africa each day. This website also includes information on suppliers of certified wood and a directory of importers.