An “otter bypass” is being designed for the Royal Canal in Dublin aiming to protect the Royal Canal otters during construction of the proposed airport MetroLink rail line.
Plans to drain a section of the canal in Phibsborough could cut otters’ habitats in half, leading to potential dangers for the animals including running through traffic to reach water.
The yellowhammer bird is also at risk, with 150 acres of grassland and 4km of hedgerows and treelines that it uses potentially being removed due to MetroLink construction.
Oonagh Duggan of Birdwatch Ireland said the yellowhammer told the hearing “projects like MetroLink are not the main reason we’re in a biodiversity crisis, but they’re one of many things chipping away at nature. It’s death by a thousand cuts. We would hope there would also be a long-term project to restore hedgerow and replace what can’t be restored elsewhere. You can have projects of overriding public interest but that shouldn’t absolve you of responsibility for the wildlife that will be affected. Bats, badgers, amphibians, fish and the common lizard are also likely to be affected.”
Terry Doherty, of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, told the hearing: “we asked for an otter bypass plan to be drawn up by the applicant. We have been in discussions on the design of a passage or a route past the proposed works and we are satisfied with what has been drawn up at this stage. We think it’s as good as is feasible.”
TII says it will replace felled trees and it will restore grasslands and, where possible, hedgerow.
