News: Spring/Summer 2006

It seems incredible, but its true: in the 21st century we are still condoning the destruction of limestone pavement - one of our rarest and most irreplaceable natural habitats - to satisfy the whims of gardeners.

All the remaining limestone pavement in the UK is protected by law but many of our garden centres and stone suppliers still sell the water-worn rock to gardeners in this country. It seems that half of what they sell comes from Ireland. Although many of the most important limestone pavement areas in Ireland, such as the Burren, are protected under European as designated SACs (Special Areas of Conservation), there are many areas around the fringes of the protected areas that are vulnerable to exploitation and it is feared that this is where the rock is coming from.

In this day and age, there is no excuse for depleting the natural environment for the sake of beautifying gardens. What kind of pleasure can anyone take from creating a garden at the expense of the wider environment?

Edna Leahy. 2006. Rare Irish limestone sold to UK. Viewed at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2059167,00.html on February 27th 2006.