Radical tree planting eco-restoration programme in Erris begins

mayo | environment | news report Sunday December 14, 2008 14:59 by Pooka McFee - Nameless Faery Horde

Positive long-term responses to corporate theft and environmental despoliation!

Over the last week/ten days, local people in what Shell and the government like to style as the 'receiving communities' of Rossport, Glenamoy and Pullathomas (as if a dirty big refinery, a dangerous experimental pipeline and a gombeen-facilitated Gas Robbery were gifts beyond price!) joined with solidarity activists from elsewhere in Ireland to pursue a project more sustaining and sustainable than Corrib - the gradual re-afforestation of magnificent beautiful Erris with appropriate species of trees!

Photos and additional reporting courtesy of FSB!

A journey...

Over the last few days, after inclusive consultation with the Local Community and the Ancient Guardian Spirits of the Landscape the first trees have been planted in the Erris section of the Great Hibernian Forest Restoration Programme. This is an action taken in solidarity with all beings involved in the ongoing struggle against Shell Oil’s plans for the area. Trees have been planted in several secret and not so secret locations around the Sruwaddacon Estuary with the intention of restoring the natural balance in the area and building an economy of cooperation that replenishes Social and Natural Resources rather than depleting them.

One of the humans involved in the project said;
“Trees are life, mate! It was Trees and other plants what did the work to make it possible for us humans to evolve in the first place. They’re older than us and wiser than us and we should slow the f**k down and listen to them. That’s why we’re planting these trees. Shell and the government can f**k off! They don’t know s**t if they think that extracting that gas will do any good for anyone beyond the next few years or so. We’re making the only investment that really counts these days by helping these trees to grow that will be creating oxygen, providing fuel, habitat and food for myriads of other creatures for hundreds of years”

One of his friends added;
“This is a small but good start, we’ve planted maybe 200 trees over the last few days, and we’ve had a very positive response from everyone we’ve talked to. We hope that by doing this we’re encouraging people to look beyond the immediate struggle and look at ways to strengthen the local economy by giving something back to the land. We’d like to see 1000s of trees appropriately planted here and all over the country especially in places where there are conflicts of this nature. We’re trying to demonstrate a small part of the alternative to the exploitation of people and the Earth”