Ecosystem Accounts - Peatlands and Heathlands 2018

CORINE Land Cover dataset

In this publication, we use the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) dataset developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Based on the interpretation of satellite imagery coming from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8, EPA then enhanced CLC with national land use data from different sources (e.g. the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Coillte and Forest Service).

Two classes of CORINE Land Cover were used in this publication: “Peat bogs” to approximate peatlands and “Moors & Heathlands” to represent heathlands. CORINE Land Cover datasets have a minimum mapping unit of 25 hectares. Both classes are high level and do not provide a sub-division by habitat types (i.e. raised bogs, blanket bogs, rich and poor fens, transition mires and quaking bogs, dry heath, wet heath, montane heath). “Peat bogs” does not include all types of peatlands. This class excludes fens and transitional bogs on peat soils (< 30 cm thick peat). “Moors & Heathlands” includes all types of heathlands described previously. The term “moors” is not commonly used in Ireland. For further details, refer to CORINE Land Cover nomenclature guidelines.

The CORINE Land Cover dataset can also be used to track changes in land cover over time. The CORINE Land Cover change dataset, however, has a smaller minimum mapping unit (5 ha) than the standard land cover dataset used to map the spatial extent (25 ha). This means that the spatial extent shown in Table 2.2 is not directly comparable with the changes in spatial extent shown in Table 2.3, as they are calculated using data at different resolutions.

Article 17 – EU Habitats Directive data

Under Article 17 of the EU Directive on the Conservation of Habitats, Flora and Fauna (92/43/EEC), the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) reports the status of EU protected habitats and species in Ireland to the European Commission. These data (hereafter Article 17 – EU Habitats Directive data) are compiled every 6 years starting in 2007. They are primarily collated from scientific monitoring projects directly commissioned by NPWS and the responsible Government department. Additional data coming from scientific publications or organisations such as Local Authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Biodiversity Data Centre and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are also used.

Article 17 – EU Habitats Directive data were used to supplement the spatial extent produced with CORINE Land Cover 2018 dataset. Ten habitats from Article 17 – EU Habitats Directive data were reported: active raised bogs, degraded raised bogs, blanket bogs, transition mires and quaking bogs, petrifying springs, alkaline and calcareous fens, dry heath, wet heath, and alpine and subalpine heaths (See Table 1.1 and 3.1). Definitions for all the habitats can be found in the Glossary, Table 3.1, and in The Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland 2019 published by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Protected areas

Land use

Data from Coillte, Bord na Móna, the Forest Service, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine were used to compile land use of peatlands and heathlands based on CORINE Land Cover “Peat bogs” and “Moors & Heathlands” classes.

The categories “Agriculture” and “Other” in Table 2.8 encompass several types of land use. “Agriculture” mostly accounts for extensively grazed commonage areas. “Other” includes natural peatlands and heathlands as well as other land uses such as human infrastructures, renewable energy, and aquaculture. More detailed breakdown of both categories will be presented in future releases of this publication with the refinement of data.

The category “Forestry” in Table 2.8 covers only the commercial forest use of Peat bogs and Moors & Heathlands from Coillte and the Forest Service. CORINE Land Cover “Forest” classes can however include forests on peatlands and heathlands. Likewise, the category “Agricultural usage” of Table 2.8 is only based on the uses reported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Land Parcel Identification System data. The “Agricultural areas” of CORINE Land Cover can include agriculture on former peat soils.

Drainage network

In this publication we accounted only for the lands benefiting from Arterial Drainage and Drainage Districts schemes. The figures on drained peatlands and heathlands will be reviewed along with methodological developments and the availability of new data sources.

Data

Restoration data are scattered across numerous organisations: public and semi-public bodies, non-governmental organisations, community groups and individuals. In this publication, only the works carried out by Bord na Móna, EU-LIFE programmes and the National Park and Wildlife Services (NPWS) were reported.

The spatial extents of peatlands expected to be restored during the 2016-2020 and 2021-2025 periods (Figure 5.1 and Table 5.2) have been estimated using data from internal programmes, restoration projects listed in the Biodiversity Action Plan 2016-2021 (BAP) report published by Bord na Móna, National Raised Bog Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) Management plan 2017-2022 from NPWS, and EU-LIFE programmes. The 2021-2025 figure has been estimated based on ongoing and predicted works for which the data are still provisional.  This estimate did not include the new EU-LIFE programmes starting from 2019 onwards as no data are available yet. Revisions will be applied in future editions when additional data are available.

The spatial extent of rehabilitation from Bord na Móna up to 2015 (Figure 5.2 and Table 5.2) have been estimated from the BAP published by Bord na Móna. The figures for the 2016-2020 period (Figure 5.2 and Table 5.2) have been estimated both from BAP and internal rehabilitation programmes. The total area targeted for rehabilitation in 2021-2025 (Figure 5.2 and Table 5.2) by the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme is provisional and will be reviewed along with the progress made under this project. 

EU-LIFE Programmes

LIFE programmes are EU co-funded and aim at environment and climate actions. Only EU-LIFE programmes whose primary purpose was the restoration of peatlands have been included in this publication. Additional programmes will be included in the future editions pending the availability of the data.

Go to the next chapter: Glossary