On Restoration Ecology

Conversation with Dr. Catherine Farrell

Tell us a bit about your research and the work that you focus on?

I have been working in restoration ecology as a researcher since the late 90’s, starting with Bord Na Móna (Irish state-owned energy company based in the peat and boglands). The company had a very rural employee base which was predominantly male. 

This was my first lesson in engaging with local people who were mostly employed by this industry. The work that I was doing was impacting the livelihood of these communities in the future. But equally the landscapes that I would be working to restore  were vast, covering about 6,500 hectares.

After these first steps I moved to the Midlands and began looking at an even bigger scale of up to 80,000 hectares for Bord Na Mona. We were trying to come up with formulations for rewetting and creating wetlands and woodlands where appropriate. 

Through this work I got involved with the Community Wetlands Forum.This eventually led me to look at the whole landscape to account for natural capital and  the different ecosystem services that flow from landscapes—particularly degraded landscapes and how to restore them.Over the past few years I have been focused on coastal ecosystems. And so I have a very broad perspective from land to sea—peatlands, wetlands, woodlands, and coastal ecosystems.

‘‘This eventually led me to look at the whole landscape to account for natural capital and  the different ecosystem services that flow from landscapes—particularly degraded landscapes and how to restore them.’’

You are described as an expert in community engagement, what do you believe are the key challenges with community engagement today in relation to ecosystem recovery?

During the Bord Na Mona project in the 90’s the bog was coming to the end of its life in terms of peat and we were dealing with the economics of peat extraction. That environment is difficult if you are dealing with extreme conditions—short and dry seasons one year followed by a summer with only two days without rain. The challenge here is for parties to understand each other. These learnings have led to more co-designed projects with communities and more stakeholder engagement through my own work.

Working on site with communities is actually very difficult, my background is in science and they don’t teach you how to communicate with the broader public. The challenge is in disseminating your information and work but also to understand other people’s perspectives. This challenge is still here today. When you see a landscape as an ecologist you understand that we have to care for it—species are declining, but not everyone sees it the same way.

But then a farmer comes along and will ask how can I get more out of my land? They say they don’t have as much time as they used to because the income of a farmer has declined. Then they have ecologists coming to them and telling them what they need to do on land that they have been farming for centuries. The ecologists may not understand local history and what the farmers know about their land. There lies the challenge, and where we need to begin bridging worlds. The solution is that we need to get out into the community—listen, learn and take the time to understand.

It’s important to recognise that without farming these ecosystems wouldn’t be as diverse. This is quite an anthropocentric perspective. If we take coastal grasslands, the cattle out-wintering leave their good dung behind them and enrich the soil. In summer they move away from the dry land up into the boggier areas and this allows for huge diversity in the system.

We need to start thinking about how to support animal breeds that fit the landscape. It all comes back to the food system and the food policy.

‘‘When you see a landscape as an ecologist you understand that we have to care for it—species are declining, but not everyone sees it the same way.’’

Do you see planning policy and land use plans affecting the work that you are doing with Hometree?

Policy to date has been produced with a focus solely on production. This has pushed chemicals into the food system and largely monocultural grasslands in intensively farmed areas. Addressing this requires movement at the grassroots level. This includes community groups such as Hometree that work at a bioregional level. 

In the coastal project I worked on most recently, we worked with people who are working and living in that environment and trying to understand a policy that would support them.  Some sites were suffering from livestock excess, but when we spoke to the farmers they told us if they don’t keep their livestock on the fields they won’t get any payments. As a result we brokered a deal with the Department where the farmers didn’t have to graze. This allowed the sites to recover but farmers were not penalised for this. The farmers knew what needed to be done but were afraid of losing their livelihoods. Here you can see the grassroots movements and policy connecting to find a solution. It’s not always that simple, farmers are often suspicious of the work that of ecologists because it's often viewed as threatening their way of living.

For the past few years I’ve been working on a coastal research project on the west coast of Ireland. Here the Northwest Atlantic wind powers and drives sand over the landscape creating an interesting grassland that has been valuable as cattle wintering ground for several millennia. But they are now under threat from the overgrazing of sheep. This area is right at the forefront of climate change with the increase of dramatic storms. So how do we get these sites back to good health?

Critical to addressing this question is understanding these landscapes in the past. For example,how can you work with a group of people that operate under a commonage system, as these were managed in the past? As these coastal systems are a last refuge for many rare and threatened species, we have those that we target in our project such as the lapwing. There were once 200,000 pairs in Ireland; now there are just under 5000. These projects are lifetime projects—lifetime understanding, lifetime watching, lifetime learning.

In the coastal commonage areas there can be up to 20 to 30 people who share 200 hectares of land for grazing in the west of Ireland. This can be found in other places around the British islands. One of the challenges for commonages is who is controlling how many animals one can put out to graze on this common area? Good governance is a key aspect of the structure of a commons. It has to be a balance.

‘‘This has pushed chemicals into the food system and largely monocultural grasslands in intensively farmed areas.’’

Do you think there could also be a productive space for timber within woodlands?

Yes, certainly, there are different approaches such as continuous cover forestry. I was reminded recently that most farming has been done to save time and produce more, and the same could be said for forestry. At the moment it is about clearing a swathe of land but there are more sustainable ways of managing woodlands.

“If designers can have an overview of the landscape and are able to embrace working with communities, then this can help to advance better planning policies.”

Do you think there is room for designers to take a hold of land planning in this area?

Yes, absolutely. If designers can have an overview of the landscape and are able to embrace working with communities, then this can help to advance better planning policies. I believe planners are a bit isolated. They are almost afraid to speak to people. But designers could work to see what could be done differently. They could imagine diverse landscapes that are ‘messy’ or less finely managed with straight lines. I believe we need to live in more messy landscapes—nature is chaotic. It is in constant change and growth. People also want to move and grow. From a landscape design perspective, design means to predetermine, but landscape is undefined and is evolving, there is diversity.

What communities need is not superimposed ideas, but an understanding of the area. Planners shouldn’t only be thinking about housing or buildings, but also how communities and their needs can be integrated with the landscape’s succession. Planners have a lot of influence over change.

Ecologists have historically been of little importance. Therefore, ecologists' influence with planners,local authorities and central planning has not changed the status quo dramatically. I would appeal to people to start that change and engage with ecologically minded groups and those engaged with the landscape. Having these conversations is one of the first important steps.

There is currently a land use review (at a national level) going on with the first phase completed last year. It’s an important process and I hope that it will have a strong outcome to bring a more holistic integrated view of land use and ensure community voices are heard. END

About the Contributor:

Dr. Catherine Farrell is a restoration ecologist with expertise in ecosystem recovery and community engagement.She is a founding member of the Irish Forum on Natural Capital and works with businesses and nature agencies to bring the role of nature into broader discussions around ecosystem health, ecosystem services, natural capital and natural capital accounting, and sustainable environments.

  • COLLABORATOR: Dr. Catherine Farrell

  • ILLUSTRATIONS: BothAnd Group

  • SUPPORTERS: Arts Council of Ireland through Agility Award 2023