Activists held a walk of remembrance through Belfast on Earth Day for almost 30,000 trees axed by a government department.
The group said a Freedom of Information request to the Department for Infrastructure found they have axed 29,530 trees in the last decade. That includes a row of 200-year-old oaks during flood alleviation work that saw over 400 trees felled across Belfast, Newcastle and Newry.
Beginning at the MAC at 2pm, they made their way to Belfast City Hall before finishing up at DfI's headquarters in the city.
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Citing evidence from the Public Accounts Committee report on planning in March, 2022, Declan Owens said before they set off: "The existence of a silo culture amongst consultees is... of significant concern, particularly the evidence that some consultees are protecting their own organisation's performance to the detriment of the overall system. This is not acceptable and urgent remedial action must be taken".
"Nature has a right to exist and it's up to everyone to protect those rights," he added.
Colin Shaw from Save Our Lagan told those gathered of his "shock" when DfI removed trees along the River Lagan for its flood alleviation scheme. He said: "They had been so permanent in everybody's life and then they were gone. It woke a lot of us up and ever since we've been trying to learn about the solutions.
"Very little is being done and it's a political problem.
"We are counting the trees - because we have to. We care about those trees, those trees are immensely, intensely special to us so take the biodiversity crisis as seriously as everything else."
"I was absolutely horrified at the number of trees that have been destroyed, killed," added Anne Harper.
"If a farmer took out almost 30,000 trees there would be serious questions asked and they would be called an environmental vandal and I would argue that the largest environmental vandal in Northern Ireland could well be DfI based on that number.
"If you put them all together that is a huge forest. It's like death by a thousand cuts."
Shay Daly, who witnessed the 200-year-old oak trees being cut down in Newry told us: "About six o'clock in the morning these messages started coming through that in the middle the night contractors had come in and I think they cut down 11 trees the first night before anybody was made aware.
"The sense I had was betrayal straight away... and when we went up and saw and saw the devastation, it just really sickened me. For three or four days after it I couldn't even really communicate with people. I had to take it in. It was gut wrenching."
Colm Sands from RARE Rostrevor said: "it's wonderful for people to come on the streets and bring a very important very important story to the steps of DfI here in Belfast. The question is why is the Department for Infrastructure destroying our natural infrastructure in the name of flood alleviation schemes all over the country, including in Newry?
"They were taking down trees, which in themselves were flood alleviation. Within these Wild Isles, Northern Ireland has to be the Wild West. I hope today's event will help people think and set the conversation going.
Co Down woman Joanne McCrum said hearing about the loss of so many trees left her grieving.
She added: "I found out about the Newry oaks and they are one of the most important trees in the world for biodiversity. They sequester enormous amounts of carbon.
"I have a very visceral reaction to these things because the amount we take from the Earth without giving anything back is just beyond arrogance. The crazy thing is that it's these people in this building [DfI] that are also going to suffer from a loss of biodiversity and from the climate crisis.
"We shouldn't have to be protecting nature, it should be natural."
DfI has been contacted for comment.
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