Mr. Francis O'Donnell:

Yes, it is devastating. We think about all of the species. We talk about eels, salmon and brown trout but also all the other species that live there downstream from it. Everything is extremely harmed. Their home is taken away overnight. They get displaced and, depending on what stage they are at in their life cycle, some of them cannot move and will perish very quickly. Once a river is drained at that level, it causes all kinds of instability within the system. There will be undermining of banks and rivers will widen. When there are periods of very warm weather and the temperature goes up to 21° C or 22° C, it is lethal for fish like salmon. There are all of those issues. It is the balance between the socioeconomic impacts of flooding and property. Clonakilty, Bandon and places like that have been severely affected by floods over the years. We as scientists and environmentalists can come with a very sterile view and with our DNA, but we have to have cognisance that there is a human and political aspect to this. It is very much about planning and working together before this knee-jerk reaction to undertake a very large-scale project that will have long-term impacts on the environment. That discussion needs to take place and all the experts need to be brought into the room. The reality is that if a town or small village gets flooded two or three times, something has to happen by way of mitigation. It is about getting that balance right.