Machairs in Mayo - a rare dune ecosystem.

Northwest Ireland has several areas of rare machair dunes including those stretching from Mulranny salt marsh to Rosmurrevagh peninsula in Clew Bay, Co.Mayo.

Machairs are fertile, low-lying dune areas - a unique form of coastal grassland (described as 'raised beaches' by Wikipedia). They are formed when sand catches in coastal vegetation, such as marram grass. Consequently, the plants gradually move upward, more sand is caught, and the land's surface is raised.

Although little research has been done into machairs, they are known to support a rich variety of species including many birds and insects (such as the belted beauty moth). Machairs also provide habitat for up to 150 species of flower, some of which are endangered and protected, including the Irish Lady's Tresses.

Machairs are vulnerable to erosion and rising sea levels. In 2007, Mulranny village received the inaugural Notice Nature Biodiversity Award, part of Ireland's Tidy Towns competition. The award recognises over a decade of conservation work to protect and restore local machairs. The Mulranny Causeway loop walk provides access to part of the machairs.

• Wikipedia article on Machairs
• Read about the Belted Beauty Moth
• Irish Lady's Tresses Species Action Plan (36 pages, 239KB, PDF).

Designation of Nature Conservation Sites in Ireland

The 22 page report 'Living with Nature, the Designation of Nature Conservation Sites in Ireland' outlines the different types of conservation site in Ireland, a guide to the designation process, consultation and planning issues, likely impact of designation on farming practices and land use and compensation for land owners and users.

It also includes examples of Irish conservation and special areas and a list of habitats listed in Annex 1 of the Habitats Directive for which sites have been selected in Ireland.

• Download Living with Nature, the Designation of Nature Conservation Sites in Ireland (22 pages, 1315KB, PDF). Published by Duchas, The Heritage Service

Maps of Protected Areas in Ireland

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible, through the National Parks and Wildife Service, for the designation of conservation sites in Ireland. There are three types of protected areas in Ireland:

1. NHAs - Natural Heritage Areas
   A basic wildlife designation. Many NHAs overlap with SACs or SPAs. There are 802 that don't, covering 1,130 square kilopmeters.
2. SACs - Special Areas of Conservation
   Prime wildlife conservation areas, of importance in Irish and/or European context. These are selected and designated under the EU Habitats Directive and transposed into Irish law in the European Union (Natural Habitats) Regulations, 1997. Ireland has 381 candidate Special Areas of Conservation, covering circa 10,000 square kilometres. Approximately 25 SACs are also designated SPAs. View map of Irelands Special Areas of Conservation.
3. SPAs - Special Protection Areas
   Primarily areas of importance to birds. Designated under the EU Birds Directive. 110 SPAs have been designated, with a further 25 proposed. View map of Ireland's Special Protected Areas.

Find out more at:

• Botanic Garden's Protected Areas in Ireland
• Environmental Protection Agency's page on Ireland's Protected Areas

Heath-bog habitat protection for endangered Hen Harrier

The blanket ban on planting forestry in certain areas important to the survival of the endangered hen harrier has been lifted (March 2007). Instead, the Government has established a new forestry management protocol for the forestry and farming groups who had objected to the ban.

Under the protocol, six Special Protection Areas (SPA), important to the hen harrier, have been designated. In these, limited sustainable and quota-based afforestation will be allowed . It is thought that this will facilitate the protection and enhancement of the hen harrier's preferred habitat, including heath and bog. The National Parks and Wildlife Service will monitor the protocol's impact on habitat.

The Special Protection Areas include the:

• Slieve Bloom mountains (Laois and Offaly);
• Stack's to Mullaghareirk mountains, West Limerick hills and Mount Eagle (Cork, Kerry and Limerick);
• Mullaghanish to Musheramore (Cork);
• Slieve Felim to Silvermines (Limerick and Tipperary);
• Slieve Beagh (Monaghan) and
• Slieve Aughty mountains (Clare and Galway).

Read more:

• UCC research project: Optimum scenarios for Hen Harrier conservation in Ireland
• Bird net: Related news, hen harrier information and controversy over new SPAs
• Coillte's Biodiversity Action Plan for the Hen Harrier
  
  

Blanket Bog Restoration Project

The Blanket Bog Restoration Project project aims to restore some of active blanket bog in Ireland - including bogs at:

• the MacGillycuddys' Reeks, Co. Kerry
• Slieve Aughty, Co. Clare
• Nephin Beg, Crossmolina, Glenamoy and Bangor-Erris in Co. Mayo
• Barnesmore Gap and Lough Golagh in Co. Donegal
• the Ox Mountains in Co. Sligo, and
• the Slieve Blooms in Co. Laois.

The website provides information about the project, its bogs, and restoration techniques. Clickable maps of Ireland enable you to locate and find out more about the 20 project sites. The bog restoration project is managed by Coillte, and funded under the under the EU LIFE- Nature Programme.

Ireland's peatlands under threat

According to the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) it has recently become apparent that the Irish government

"are slowing down on their designation of Irish peatlands as Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs). This inaction means that sites that are currently proposed as Natural Heritage Areas under national legislation (link), are in fact not protected at all".

The IPCC is particularly concerned about fens. Developers are at liberty to destroy them, which they often do:

"Two proposed NHA fens in Waterford - Kilbarry Bog and Ballina Lough have been
badly damaged. Even more depressing is the case of Girley Raised Bog in Co.
Meath, a designated NHA where a developer inserted drains all over the site"

The IPCC's Peatlands Under Threat Campaign aims to review the status of every peatland site in Ireland including

• a review and update of the boundaries, names, habitat and species designations of all existing and new peatland Special Areas of Conservation (SACs - a European Network of protected areas)


• a comparison of the IPCC's information on the boundaries, names and quality of all existing and new peatland Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) with similar information arising by a recent survey by the National Parks and Wildlife Service

Arising from these reviews the IPCC aims to publish a new strategic action plan to ensure longterm protection for Irish peatlands.

• Read the Irish Peatland Conservation Council Action Plan 2005


• Join the IPCC to support and get regular updates on their work

Kildare bog home to 21 of Ireland's 28(ish) butterfly species

Lullymore West Bog in Co. Kildare is being conserved by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council for its incredible diversity of butterflies. According to the IPCC:

"With 21 out of the 28 Irish resident breeding butterfly species finding refuge here, including the endangered Marsh Fritillary, this fragile wetland habitat is exceptional in Ireland... The remoteness of the bog is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it's fantastic for wildlife watching, but on the other it allows unscrupulous people to undertake anti-social activities at our bog, such as dumping, quad biking and tree felling."

In response the IPCC have developed a management plan to guide activities at the 4.5 hectare site for the next five years (to 2012). Plans include

• providing fencing, information signs and visitor guidance;
• carrying out habitat and species mapping and
• setting up a long term butterfly transect to enable ongoing monitoring.

You can find out more, see photos and donate to the Lullymore West project.

Other sources indicate that there are actually closer to 31 species of butterfly in Ireland.

2020 Vision: Protecting and Improving Ireland’s Environment

This month the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have published and sought public comment on the draft strategy 2020 Vision: Protecting and Improving Ireland’s Environment (Word, 37 pages, 781 KB). According to Dr Mary Kelly, Director General, EPA:

"We need to know what environmental priorities the public would like to see addressed, and what steps might be taken to address them"

The draft strategy identifies six main environmental issues:

• Clean Air
• Clean & Plentiful Water Resources
• Protected Soil & Biodiversity
• Sustainable Use of Natural Resources (waste management)
• Limiting & Adapting to Climate Change
• Integration & Enforcement

Protected areas - SCIs, SACs, SPAs, SSSIs, Ramsar sites, Natura 2000

Designation of protected areas in Ireland:

• SCIs - Each EU Member state, including Ireland, is required under the Habitats Directive to prepare and propose a national list of sites to be evaluated for inclusion in a European network of Sites of Community Importance (SCIs).
• SACs - The SCIs are then designated by Member States as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)
• SPAs - these are Special Protection Areas classified under the EC Birds Directive
• Natura 2000 - together, SACs and Spas form an ecological network of protected areas known as the Natura 2000 network.
• Ramsar sites - internationally important wetland areas as designated under the Ramsar Convention.
• SSSIs - Sites of Special Scientific Interest are a nationally important conservation designation that may be applied to SCIs, SACs, SPAs, Natura 2000 or any other site that gives them extra protection. SSSIs are a foundation for nature conservation legislation upon which many other legal conservation designations including Ramsar Sites, SPAs, SACs and nature reserves are based.

The most extensive deepwater coral reefs in Europe

The most extensive deepwater coral reefs in Europe

First photographed by un-manned submarines in the mid-1990s, Ireland's deepwater coral reefs are among the most extensive in Europe, second only to those in Norway.

They are found some 100 to 250 miles off Ireland's West coast at depths of between 600 and 1000m. These peripheral Irish waters provide optimal growing conditions for coldwater-loving corals. Highly productive surface waters yield plenty of nourishing detritus to the coral below, fast flowing currents are rich in nutrients, the temperature and salinity ranges are perfect and there are sufficient hard surfaces to which the corals can firmly attach themselves.

They took thousands of years to develop, growing up to 2mm a year to form fragile carbonate mounds (thought to be the largest in the world) that are now 10s of metres high and covering an area of 100s of sq metres.

The reefs provide a bustling habitat for animals such as sponges, fish, worms, crabs, shrimps and other crustaceans. Being so remote and at such high pressure depth the reefs are fairly inaccessible. There are plans to place permanent observatories on the reefs to aid scientific research.

In mid-2006 Ireland became the first country in Europe to propose formally to the European Commission that four of its coral reef sites be designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the provisions of the 1992 Habitats Directive. This will make it illegal to perform any activities (such as those involved in fishing, scientific research or acoustic surveying) that may cause them damage.

• Ireland First Country In EU To Designate Coral Reefs (Press Release, May 2006)
• Coral Reefs in Irish Waters (article)

Irish red data books

Two Irish red data books have been published to date.

• The Irish Red Data Book: 1 Vascular Plants (Curtis & McGough, 1988)
• The Irish Red Data Book: 2 Vertebrates (Whilde, 1993).

No red data books have been published for invertebrates, fungi, or bryophytes, although a list of bryophytes was included in the most recent Flora Protection Order (1999).

Protection and conservation of Ireland's plants

According to the National Botanic Gardens and the Red Data List of Irish plants:

• 7 species of plant are critically endangered and require immediate intervention if they are to be saved from becoming extinct in Ireland.
• 9 are already extinct
• 2 are extinct in the wild
• 7 are critically endangered
• 52 are endangered
• 69 are vulnerable
• 16 are data deficient – we don’t have enough information to confirm their conservation status
• 14 species are not considered threatened in Ireland (i.e. the Republic), but are protected in Northern Ireland.

Plants in Ireland's Nature Reserves and National Parks are legally protected. Our rarest species are protected under the 1999 Flora Protection Order, which includes a number of mosses, liverworts, lichens and algae.

The Botanic Gardens has established an Irish Threatened Plant Species Conservation Programme that is developing expertise and knowledge on how best to cultivate and protect Ireland's threatened species of plants. It is also establishing an Irish National Strategy for Plant Conservation.

• Find out more about the Red Data List of Irish plants
• National Botanic Gardens summary of Endangered plants in Ireland
• Information on rare bryophytes in Ireland

Over 7% of Ireland’s flowering plants are at risk

Ireland has only 850 native species of flowering plants. 64 of these - that's 7% - are on the Red Data List of Irish Plants. This means that they are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

And not only flowering plants are at risk. Certain species of fern, moss and lichen are also threatened. In fact, it is estimated that 120 species of plant are at real risk of disappearing in Ireland, and a total of 188 species are listed in the original Red Data List of Irish Plants. Of these species, 64 are flowering plants, 4 are ferns, 14 mosses, 4 liverworts, 1 lichen and 2 are algae (stoneworts).

Many populations of these species are in decline or have disappeared in parts of the country because of new housing and golf course developments, changing agricultural practices, mowing of roadside verges, drainage schemes and overgrazing.

• Download the original Irish Red Data List of Vascular Plants (1988) (PDF, 80 pages, 400KB)
• Review a new Red Data List for Irish plants, compiled in 2005 (xls, 525KB)
• Find out about an Irish Threatened Plant Species Conservation Programme and the Protection of Plants in Ireland

25 species, 60 habitats in need of special protection

In Ireland, 25 species and 60 habitats are recognised by the EU to be in need of special protection.

Ireland's 10 species of bat

The 1100 species of bat make up a quarter of all mammalian species on Earth. So it is perhaps to be expected that a similar proportion of Ireland's mammalian species, 10 to be precise, would be bats (see post on Irish mammals for a list). All bats residing in Ireland belong to the bat Sub-order Microchiroptera, and all except one (the Lesser Horseshoe bat of the family Rhinolophidae) belong to the Vespertilionidae family.

All of the Irish bat species feed on invertebrates and therefore frequent places rich in flies, beetles, moths and other insects. Woodlands, scrub, wetlands, river corridors and flower rich grasslands are all suitable foraging habitats.

Some of our bat species have only been recognised in Ireland recently:

• In 1997, the Nathusius’ pipistrelle was discovered breeding in Northern Ireland and has since also been recorded in the Republic.
  
  
• Also in the late 1990s, scientists discovered that the Pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus
  pipistrellus) actually comprised two different species, the Common and Soprano Pipistrelle. Both are found in Ireland, so another bat was added to the roll call.
  
  
• In 2003, a Brandt's bat was discovered in County Wicklow, and has since been confirmed breeding in County Clare and County Tipperary.
  
  
• Bat species can be tricky to identify, but reports suggest that Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) and Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) species may have undiscovered populations here. Exciting times.

All Irish bats are protected and are listed in the Red Data Book of Irish Vertebrates. It is an offence under the Wildlife Act (1976 & 2000) to intentionally disturb, kill or injure a bat or its resting place.

Find out what bat species live in your area using the interactive bat distribution maps compiled by Bat Conservation Ireland.

Ireland's native reptile, the common lizard

Despite being partial to open, sunny, undisturbed and well drained habitats, Ireland's native common lizard thrives particularly well on Irish bogs. It also likes rough grassland, open woodland, woodland edges, sea cliffs, sand dunes, dry-stone walls, hedgerows, roadside verges, railway embankments, disused quarries or sandpits, suburban wasteland and golf courses. Not a fussy one is our lizard!

Our lovely lizard is a protected species
It was added to the species listed on Fifth Schedule of the Wildlife Act 1976 and Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 following the enactment of the Wildlife Act 1976 (Protection of Wild Animals) Regulations 1980. This means it receives full protection under Section 23 of the Wildlife Act 1976 and Section 31 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. Together these prohibit the hunting, taking or killings of common lizards and wilful interference or destruction of their breeding places or resting places.

National Parks in Ireland

There are six national parks in Ireland, covering a combined area of 596 sq km, or only 0.86% of Ireland's total land area (68890 sq km). The criteria and standards for national parks are laid down by the World Conservation Union (also known as IUCN - International Union for the Conservation of Nature). Much of the land is also designated as a SAC (Special Area of Conservation (PDF format)) under the EU Habitats Directive.

Travelling clockwise around Ireland from Dublin the national parks:

1. Wicklow Mountains National Park, Co. Wicklow (159 sq km)
2. Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry (103 sq km)
3. The Burren National Park, Co. Clare (17 sq km)
4. Connemara National Park, Co. Galway (30 sq km)
5. Ballycroy National Park, Co. Mayo (118 sq km)
6. Glenveagh National Park, Co. Donegal (170 sq km)