Concerns raised over impact of quad bikes on wildlife

Concerns have been raised over the impact of quad bike riders on wildlife in a woodland area near Muff, County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

Margaret Peoples, who is from Carnamoyle, said people riding quad bikes in Lisnagra Woods have been visiting the area throughout the summer.

Peoples said the quad bikes are causing significant damage to the woodland, making the area difficult for families and dog walkers to use, while also cutting up the forest floor, which is impacting plants and wildlife.

She said the noise and damage caused by the heavy vehicles are particularly concerning for a colony of red squirrels, at a time when they are gathering and storing food ahead of winter.

"These quads have been cutting the place up every weekend," Peoples told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Thursday.

"It's been happening all summer, and it's making the place nearly unusable for people coming with their kids, or for a walk with the dog or whatever, because it's very badly cut up and mucky at the minute.

"Plus, it's also doing a lot of damage to the forest floor, which is bad for the survival of the woods, for the food chain in the woods, for the seeds and the birds.

"It's not the place for quads. It really isn't."

"The damage that they're doing to the forest floor and the undergrowth, where the small mammals – your squirrels, your rabbits, your pine martens – are at this time of year gathering up for the winter, they're wrecking that.

"And the noise disturbance is clearly going to be an issue for any bird life. Even now, there's not as much birdsong in the morning or afternoon as there would have been before all this started."

"We have a colony of red squirrels here who are having to deal with all this disturbance, you know, these things need peace and quiet to thrive.

"It's their home. We're only visitors there, and we need to respect that if they're going to survive and thrive."

Peoples urged the quad bike riders to take their activities to an area that is more appropriate.

Sinn Féin councillor Terry Crossan said he has raised concerns over the quad bikes with Coillte Ireland, the forestry company responsible for managing 440,000 hectares of primarily forested land across the Republic of Ireland and An Garda Síochána (the Irish police service).

Crossan said there were potential dangers to families walking in the woods while vehicles are travelling at high speeds.

"This has been going on for quite some time and is happening on a regular basis.

"This activity in the Lisnagra area is causing severe loss of habitat and is having a detrimental impact on wildlife, especially the red squirrels and pine martens.

"Any noise pollution or damage to habitat or vegetation all has a very serious impact, with a lot of areas in the wood being turned into an absolute quagmire.

"I have contacted Coillte and Gardaí over these repeated incidents of quad bikes being ridden in the woodland, and hopefully we will see some action in the immediate future."