Thursday, November 16, 2006

1% of Ireland is internationally important wetland

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty concerned with the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands (especially those of importance as wildfowl habitats) and their resources. It supports conservation cooperation and action at local, national and international levels. The 153 participating countries are required to nominate Wetlands of International Importance based on significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology or hydrology. The Ramsar Convention currently lists 1631 such wetland sites. Ireland accounts for almost 3% of these.

1% of Ireland’s own land area is designated as Ramsar site

  • Between 1984 and 1996, 45 wetlands in Ireland were designated, totalling 700 sq km
  • Ireland has four times the average number of individual Ramsar sites per participating country
  • However, each site being small, Ireland's total Ramsar site area is less than a 10th of the average per country
  • Worldwide, Ramsar sites total over 1500000 sq km. Irish sites accounts for approximately .05% of the total area.

Peppered throughout Ireland

A map of Irish Ramsar sites is available from the Ramsar Sites Information Service. They are also listed below.

  1. Wexford Wildfowl Reserve
  2. The Raven
  3. Pettigo Plateau
  4. Slieve Bloom Mountains
  5. Owenduff catchment
  6. Owenboy
  7. Knockmoyle/Sheskin
  8. Lough Barra Bog
  9. North Bull Island
  10. Rogerstown Estuary
  11. Baldoyle Bay
  12. Clara Bog
  13. Mongan Bog
  14. Raheenmore Bog
  15. Tralee Bay
  16. Castlemaine Harbour
  17. Easky Bog
  18. The Gearagh
  19. Coole Lough & Garryland Wood
  20. Pollardstown Fen
  21. Meenachullion Bog
  22. Ballycotton Bay
  23. Ballymacoda
  24. Sandymount Strand/Tolka Estuary
  25. The Broadmeadow Estuary
  26. Dundalk Bay
  27. Tramore Backstrand
  28. Blackwater Estuary
  29. Cork Harbour
  30. Inner Galway Bay
  31. Dungarvan Harbour
  32. Bannow Bay
  33. Trawbreaga Bay
  34. Cummeen Strand
  35. Killala Bay/Moy Estuary
  36. Blacksod Bay and Broadhaven
  37. Ballyallia Lough
  38. Lough Corrib
  39. Lough Derravaragh
  40. Lough Ennell
  41. Lough Glen
  42. Lough Iron
  43. Lough Owel
  44. Lough Gara
  45. Lough Oughter

Labels: , ,

The island of ireland

Once upon a time, and for 15000 years, ice a mile high blanketed Ireland. When the lingering Ice Age finally released and the Irish ice departed it left a landscape scoured. Across land bridges linking Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe plants and animals arrived to colonise the new lowlands, mountains and valleys. The world’s ice continued to melt, the sea levels to rise, and some 8000 years ago Ireland became the island we now know, accounting for just 0.01% of the world's total land area and the most westerly point of Europe.

Though at Alaskan latitudes, the country's climate is tempered, due partly to the neighbouring waters of the Gulf Stream and partly the prevailing southwesterlies that veering and backing make landfall on our sodden coast. These offerings from the Atlantic mean it is never too hot, never too cold. But without doubt it is wet. Rain lingers year round, never far away, though is most frequent in winter, the western counties and, inevitably, on the day of your parade.