NORTHERN IRELAND COUNTRYSIDE SURVEY AND HNV FARMLAND

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NORTHERN IRELAND COUNTRYSIDE SURVEY AND HNV
FARMLAND
Richard Weyl and Mark Wright Biodiversity Unit
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
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Northern Ireland Countryside Survey Background

• Field-based ecological research programme
• supported by NIEA (and her predecessors)
• carried out by the University of Ulster in 1980s,
  1990s and 2000s.
• Science-based record of habitat change
  information
• records the fine scale structure of habitats
• can be used to measure environmental policy
  effectiveness
• report on the stock of habitats and more recently
  ecological condition of habitats.
• NICS is structured on statistical sampling
  principles and standardized protocols for habitat
  field survey.

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NICS Methods

• Field survey is carried out in quarter kilometre
  grid squares (0.25 km2) throughout NI.
• Samples are stratified based on the NI Land
  Classification and also by linear length of
  coastline for coastal sample squares (also at
  0.5)
• Different sample intensities have been used in
  different years
• 0.5 in 2007 (288 sample squares).
• Field mapping is based on a primary habitat
  classification, defined by vegetation structure
  and species composition.
• Areas of primary habitats can be estimated from
  sample squares by statistical analysis.

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Results

• Only a part of the data has been analysed
• Publications
• NICS 2007 Broad habitat change 1998-2007
• NICS 2007 Field boundaries summary 1998-2007
• Semi-natural habitat analysis (in house)
• NI State of Biodiversity Report 2010 (in prep)
• Website
• http//www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/index/publications.ht
  m

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Status of HNV farmlandBroad habitats

• Extent of semi-natural vegetation in 2007
• 622,906 ha (44 of NI land cover).
• most abundant neutral grasslands and bogs
  followed by broad-leaved woodland, wetland and
  open water.
• Change in semi-natural vegetation
• Overall loss of 26,530 ha (4)
• Large loss of neutral grassland,
• Large increase in broad-leaved woodland
• Change in other land cover types
• Decrease in arable and horticulture
• Increase in improved grassland and urban
• Changes are mostly a continuation of those
  observed between the 1980s and 1998, and reflect
  changing economic drivers resulting in more
  intensive farming, farming abandonment and
  development pressure.

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Change in Broad habitat area
Broad Habitats 1998 2007 Change (ha) Change
Broad Habitats (ha) (ha) Change (ha) ()
Broadleaved/Mixed Yew Wood. 63507 81699 18193 28.65
Coniferous Woodland 62135 60617 -1518 -2.44
Roads / Tracks Hard Verge. 29449 30951 1503 5.1
Arable and Horticulture 57213 48917 -8295 -14.5
Improved Grassland 554982 573010 18028 3.25
Neutral Grassland 263902 231116 -32786 -12.42
Calcareous Grassland 1765 1802 37 2.12
Acid Grassland 13324 10369 -2954 -22.18
Bracken - dense 3084 2645 -439 -14.25
Heath (Dwarf Shrub) 13909 16751 2842 20.43
Fen, Marsh Swamp (Wetland) 52935 47255 -5680 -10.73
Bog 164216 160902 -3314 -2.02
Standing Open Water (Waterbodies) 61785 61332 -453 -0.73
Rivers Streams 5390 5495 105 1.96
Montane¹ lt735 lt735 -- --
Inland Rock 7969 5450 -2520 31.62
Urban/Built Up Areas 56847 74098 17251 30.35
Supralittoral Rock 1717 1581 -136 -7.94
Supralittoral Sediment 1859 1995 136 7.33
Total Area 1415986 1415986    
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Transitions between land cover types 1998-2007
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Changes within land cover typesand NI priority
habitats

• 31 decrease in fen meadow
• 30 decrease in species-rich dry grassland
• 22 decrease in acid grassland
• 31 increase in upland heathland

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Potential for detailed analyses habitat condition

• Each parcel or polygon sample has associated
  attribute information which can be used to assess
  condition
• 1/3 of the area of species-rich dry grassland
  has some degree of scattered scrub cover
• Mean Sphagnum cover of blanket bog 13

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Application to HNV farmland

• NICS is sample-based, independent, can be used to
  measure stock, condition and change over time in
  geographic areas, needs sufficient sample size
• Case study Northern Ireland ESAs 1998 - 2007
• Rye grass ?1.3 inside ESA ?4.4 outside ESA
• Other agricultural grassland ?4.4 inside ESA
  ?17.5 outside ESA
• Species-rich dry grassland ?7 inside ESA ?42
  outside ESA
• Fen meadow ?19 inside ESA ?27 outside ESA

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SUMMARY

• NICS has great potential to contribute to
  monitoring HNV farmland
• Needs better and more secure resourcing
• Needs to be shared between across Government
  Departments

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thank you!
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