To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
An eternity in an hour
William Blake's words introduce the current winners of the Ford European Conservation Awards in a book published to mark their work. They are especially apposite when considering Fenor Bog, the only remaining alkaline fen of its kind in south-east Ireland.
With language reflecting the drive of its guardians, it notes this unique natural heritage area will be designated as a national nature reserve and remain "a natural storehouse for future generations".
The effort is headed by a group of about 12 people in a community of 140 houses; part of the smallest village in Co Waterford. But this is not just a community, through Moin Fhionnurach [bog of Fenor] Development Association, attempting to maintain the integrity of their place. It is becoming the focus of intensive scientific investigation backed by the expertise of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council.
To explain its significance and its attraction, one can simply read aloud numerous species of plant and wildlife found in the fen. Some 118 plant and 110 animal species from Heath-spotted Orchid to the Mistle Thrush have been recorded. Marsh St John's Wort occurs abundantly in wet herb vegetation, but there is a plethora of vegetation types including Water Horsetail, Bottle Sedge and Bogbean. (Fenor means "sunny side of the hill").
But its importance has to be placed in the context of a poor record of protection of such sites, according to MFDA's secretary, Ms Rita Byrne. The fen is one of only 13 remaining peatlands in Co Waterford. "Most of these sites have been lost. Farmers are taking out ditches. They are draining land. Natural habitats are lost," she said.
Fenor Bog at the foot of Ballyscanlon Hill rates highly on biological diversity, rarity and potential value, applying typical conservation criteria. This was confirmed in a vegetation survey and management plan completed by a Dutch researcher, Mr Johann Poutsma, of the International Agriculture College in Larenstein, the Netherlands, and overseen by IPCC.
That helped set a more comprehensive research agenda. This process has been aided by MFDA securing ownership of the fen with the help of the IPCC. "The community always said it would buy it, should it come on the market," explained Mr Stan Flynn, of MFDA. though the fear it would be used as a landfill was initially the motivation
To adequately protect the fen, its past has to be carefully charted. Therefore a "pollen core" survey (similar to geologists surveys the earth by drilling) is vital. It will be carried out by scientists at Waterford Institute of Technology, possibly with the help of Trinity College.
Dr Peter McLoughlin, of the institute, is to study water quality entering the fen and the changes it undergoes as it progresses through the bog. Surveys of birdlife, moths, butterflies and insects are also planned. MFDA's own millennium project aims to provide a boardwalk through the fen at a cost of £50,000.
The importance of the site is reflected in indications that there is less than 700 hectares of fen left in Ireland, and relatively little is known about them scientifically, said the IPCC head of education, Dr Catherine O'Connell. The amount left is "pitiful"; more than 50 per cent of fens have been reclaimed and most are under threat as they make good farmland. Much of the problem, she said, relates to a Government failure to set "conservation targets" for fens.
While risk of water pollution of the site has been mitigated by acquisition of adjoining land, it is vital, Dr O'Connell added, that a hydrological survey of the area be completed. Similarly, an extensive breeding-bird survey and full evaluation of the diverse invertebrate population. A French scientist is to complete a full ecological management plan this summer.
The factor which has led to the project capturing the imagination of so many, Dr O'Connell added, was the "remarkable enthusiasm" of the community group behind it. It has led to numerous visits to their Website from across the globe (http://esatclear.ie/fenorcommunity).
Should we happen to become totally Internet-driven as e-commerce further buries our agricultural past, and yet we somehow succeed in protecting such boglands as that in Fenor, Ireland will have done the European environment some service.