Unsung Heroes

Derek Mooney is back on our TV screens on Sunday March 28th with Back from the Brink, a one-hour programme featuring some of the most uplifting and inspiring nature conservation projects around Europe. Led by the wildlife unit in RTÉ, the documentary shows how a little extra care can save animals and birds from extinction.

After nearly 30 years broadcasting on the natural world Derek Mooney has lost none of his passion. His much loved radio show Mooney Goes Wild is now in its 27th year. The pan-European projects which he spearheads, have broken new ground in wildlife broadcasting. His latest venture, Back from the Brink, takes us from Rockabill Island off the coast of north Dublin to Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona and a host of other European destinations to show us how local conservationists are saving endangered wildlife from extinction.

The Arctic Fox, for example, had all but vanished in Norway. Like so many of the animals that depend on snow and ice it became a victim of climate change. But a handful of Norwegian conservationists reintroduced the fox to some of its former habitats and the species is starting to thrive again.

The charm of the programme is as much to do with the up-close footage of the animals as the delight in the faces of the humans when they see their hard work paying off. 

“There are two ways we lose animals. Either there is direct human involvement such as hunting or fishing or indirect through land grabbing, cutting down the rain forest, building houses and apartment blocks. People need somewhere to live but construction destroys natural habitat,” explains Derek.

Irish wildlife has not escaped the onslaught of threats to their existence. “Even I was surprised to discover a couple of years ago that the curlew was so endangered. When I was growing up, they were everywhere. The curlew call was part of the soundscape of Ireland. Their numbers are down by 97 per cent. 

“You turn your back on nature and it becomes extinct. People realise during lockdown just how important the natural world is,” he says.

He’s noticed a huge increase in interest in wildlife over the past year. “People are out on their walks and they’re noticing things they’d never paid attention to before.”

Derek was involved in the recent Eye on Wildlife photographic competition organised by RTÉ and the OPW/National Botanic Gardens. It had a whooping 7,000 entries, all of excellent quality he says. 

“We had become very divorced from nature over the last few decades. People were barely able to identify common birds. That’s changing and the message I’m keen to get out is that we really need to start sharing the landscape again, to appreciate and protect nature.”

Conservation projects, many of them staffed by volunteers, are critical to giving endangered creatures a chance at survival.

Take the red squirrel, which features in Back from the Brink. It’s native to Ireland but a rare sight these days. In 1911, Derek explains, the grey squirrel arrived in Ireland bringing with it the squirrel pox which didn’t affect the grey but killed the red. Natural competition meant the red squirrel’s numbers declined dramatically. 

A curious team of scientists at NUI Galway noticed that the red squirrel survived in areas where pine martins were prevalent. Pine martins feeds on squirrels and the grey squirrel is easier for them to catch, giving the red squirrels more space and resources. A team at Queens University in Belfast is continuing the work. The end result could be that our lovely red squirrel becomes a more common sight again.

“I think this shows the amazing work Irish scientists are doing. The work done here will save red squirrel populations all across Europe,” says Derek.  

Lovers of bird song (and who isn’t!) will be delighted to hear that the Dawn Chorus broadcast which Derek initiated is back. It had to be cancelled last year because of Covid restrictions and it’s still not back to the extraordinary pan-European event of previous years. This year, it will feature broadcasts from nature reserves in Ulster, Wales, Scotland, Britany and the Isle of Man. “There’s a Celtic theme this year since these are all regarded as Celtic nations,” says Derek.

Back from the Brink will be broadcast at 6.30 pm on RTÉ One. 

Mooney Goes Wild is goes out on RTÉ Radio One at 10 pm on Monday nights. It is also available as a podcast.

The Dawn Chorus will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio One from 4am on May 2