To advertise on this page, email info@tigertom.comPrecious Acres. This site is about the realisation of a dream: the purchase of as much fertile land as possible in one area of the Republic of Ireland. To what end? photo by Scott To let it literally go to seed. It will be a refuge for endangered species native to the 'British Isles'. It will be a true wildlife park, in that human activity will be minimal. It will be a mirror Eden, which a small number of people can visit each day. There's very little land in the British Isles that you can't find a drinks can or wrapping paper or well-worn trail in. This will be one of them. photo by kerry The idea is to purchase as large plot of land in the Republic of Ireland as possible, and let it run wild, and give it over to the creatures that may flourish there. Even so-called 'wildlife reserves' are 'managed'. Tracks are cut, trees cut down, animals killed. I want to see what happens if you let plot of fertile land in a temperate, Northern climate, go wild. I can't abide the mentality that sees a tree and thinks of cutting it down, or sees an animal and wants to shoot it, or sees 'weeds' where nature grows only plants. Why am I making this appeal? Well, going by my own efforts to date, it's going to take me about 200 years to raise what's necessary (grin).Something must be done to stop the 'rationalisation' of land use. Under EEC set-aside policies, arable land has been poisoned in the Republic to stop it being used to grow food crops or feed livestock. In return for this, the farmer receives a grant. I have seen this myself - fertile fields all withered. This is madness, regardless of the economic arguments behind it. The purpose of this endeavour is to create a 'land ark', and keep a store of disappearing species. I believe we are getting close to extinguishing ourselves as a specie through our gross manipulation of the food chain. We are damaging its links one by one. We need 'weeds' and 'pests' as much as we need so called 'useful' plants and animals, as they are all linked in 'our' food chain. Our plants and animal life is becoming dangerously homogenised. What use will money be to us if it can't buy food? What use are our glittering toys, if they can't stop up the emptiness inside us?
Profits from the sale of TigerTom software will go towards this personal project. T. O' Donnell is a native of the Republic of Ireland, and comes from a farming family. | ||||||||||||||||||||
