Sir, – In your report (News, December 6th) on the flooding of Carrick-on-Shannon, you quote John Dunne of the Carrick Flood Action Group who complains that the EU Habitats Directive prevents drainage of the Shannon.
We should be thankful that a great wildernesses, and one the few untamed floodplains in Europe, now has the protection it deserves. I think the Shannon floodplain should be conserved because “it’s worth it”.
Additionally, in economic terms, it is worth far more to the country in its natural state as a major ecotourism asset. Of course, in return, people who are affected by floods must be helped by, for example, building new houses for them on higher ground.
The way to protect the Shannon is by managed retreat – not by damaging a priceless natural amenity. The lessons we could learn from such a retreat would serve us well as our coastal lands and cities are inundated by rising sea levels in the next few decades, due to the melting of the Greenland icecap caused by human-induced global warming.– Yours, etc,
JOHN COVENEY
Shankill,
Dublin 18 .