Lahinch Medical Centre
Dr John Duncan

Hometree’s purpose is land regeneration, how does this align with your company/organisation?
Healthcare in general is very resource greedy, utilises a lot of consumables and the large environmental impact of this is usually forgotten so I have been keen to try and find a local solution to try and offset this.  The method of reforestation using native broadleaf trees is a potent way of trapping carbon and allowing local ecosystems to recover.  Additionally there is a link between the use of green spaces and both physical and mental health which I have benefitted from myself so I believe the Hometree project marries well with the requirements of the business and its ethos.

What is inspiring you to work with a regeneration process like Hometree?
Ireland performs poorly in most international biodiversity scales as a result of the catastrophic habitat loss.  Our not too distant ancestors, even only a few generations ago would not recognise the current landscape but it does not have to be like this: initiatives like the Scottish Beaver Trial the Knepp Wildland Project and the general rewilding movement have shown that though appropriate management and really quite minimal intervention remarkable and rapid results can be achieved.As a species, we are at a crossroads. We can save our wildlife and biodiversity for future generations or let the planet slide into ecosystem collapse.

Some of the trees you are planting you will not see mature, together we are working towards more abundant and biodiverse future, in three or four sentences please describe what you would like to invite into the future?
Critical for our future of a species rich and environmentally robust Ireland is a general recognition and respect amongst the public of the key importance of wild spaces: not only for biodiversity purposes but additionally for recreational use.  In order to achieve this I would hope for the political and economic support for farmers to engage in an environmentally sustainable model of farming in Ireland: this already exists locally in county Clare through the inspirational Burren Farming for Conservation Programme which could be rolled out much wider nationally. This could be the tool to solve the problem we have currently of farmers struggling to survive economically combined with restoration of natural habitats. Finally reviews of, and much-needed reforms to both the forestry and fisheries industries have long been overdue in order to make them sustainable.

Are you involved with any other environmental organisations?Member of Burrenbeo Trust and active in their conservation volunteer group

Are there other ways you would like to support the natural world in the future? Alarmingly most watercourses in Ireland are significantly man-modified to try and reclaim what is very marginal land and the majority are heavily polluted. Restoring these watercourses for the purposes of species preservation and flood prevention makes environmental and economic sense . A coordinated approach to this is missing in this country and would benefit a great number of people.  I would love to see a network of native woodlands in each county and the restoration of our watercourses.

Have there been any key moments that you can share about how you or your organisation decided to support a more abundant and healthier world?
Every day we receive news of the degradation of the natural world and man's irresponsible attitude towards it. Yet despite this there is the increasing recognition that doing something about this is within everyone's reach, which gives me hope: that might be something as simple as not mowing lawns so often in order to benefit pollinators, setting aside ground for wildflowers which are critical for ecosystems, building a pond or buying land for planting trees or even voting for the political candidates to whom this matters. Restoration of our natural habitats, supporting biodiversity and addressing climate change is truly democratic and not for the disproportionately wealthy - if we all act together we can turn the tide of events.