Horizons

Birds on the wane: Forty-three per cent of bird species in Europe are threatened by widespread environmental change, according to a new review by Birdlife International. Birds in Europe: Population Estimates, Trends and Conservation Status is the second review of the conservation status of all wild birds in Europe.

Since the publication of a similar review in 1994, 45 additional species have become threatened. As birds are good environmental indicators, the ongoing decline of so many species sends clear signals about the state of European biodiversity and the health of the wider environment, according to a report in the current issue of Wings. The review also found 47 (31 per cent) of breeding bird species in Ireland are under threat. Farmland birds are particularly endangered due to the intensification of farming. See also www.birdlife.org and www.birdwatchireland.ie.

School of compost

Secondary-school students in Co Sligo are learning all about composting at a two-day training course in the Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim, co-ordinated by environmental education officers in the local authorities. The idea behind this course is to give students hands-on experience of composting and the use of wormeries, backed up by information they can pass on to others. Details from Hans Wieland at the Organic Centre, tel: 071-9854338.

Meanwhile, Dublin city dwellers can get up to speed on composting by attending a free composting class in Cultivate, 15-19 Essex Street West, Temple Bar, next Wednesday or on Wednesday, March 23rd. The classes, which are supported by Dublin City Council, run from 6.30pm to 8pm. Details from 01-6746415.

Baited breath

An exhibition on carnivorous plants entitled Fly Traps opens on Monday in ENFO, Andrew Street, Dublin. The exhibition, which is mounted by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council, includes a garden with plants that eat insects. Workshops for schoolchildren run during the exhibition. Opening hours 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday until April 29th. Tel: 01-8883910.

Trunk calls

As the hum of lawnmowers begins, a writer in Crann magazine appeals to gardeners not to damage tree trunks. The trunks of young trees are particularly vulnerable to skinning by strimmers and mowers and as the living, growing part of the tree is just below the bark, damage to some trees will kill them. Establishing a grass-free zone around each tree is the best way to ensure their protection. For more information, contact the Forest of Belfast Initiative, 4-10 Linenhall Street, Belfast BT2 8PB.

Tree Week treks

The last few events of National Tree Week include a guided walk in the National Environmental Education Centre, Knocksink Wood, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, today at 2pm; a tree walk in Belvedere Estate, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, tomorrow at 2.30pm; a tour of Massy's Woods, Killakee Road, Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, tomorrow at 2.30pm and a walk through the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, tomorrow at 2.30pm. See also www.treecouncil.ie.