Agri-environment Research

Commonage Monitoring

A commitment has been made to monitor the condition of commonage to demonstrate, in particular, that initiatives are delivering recovery in overgrazed areas and that undergrazing is not becoming a problem. This involves a reassessment of habitats (in plans, subunits and stations) in commonage areas, some of which were assessed as early as 1999. Planning teams comprising both agriculturalists and environmentalists have been trained and re-surveys have been completed in commonage blocks in Counties Mayo, Galway, Cork, Kerry, Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Tipperary, Limerick and Louth between 2004 and 2010. Monitoring reports have been forwarded to the EU Commission highlighting the findings and trends. Additional survey work in 2007 focussed on Counties Mayo, Donegal and Kerry. In 2008, all commonage that had a destocking of greater than 50% were re-assessed.

Ireland also has obligations to monitor the state of designated areas containing uplands and peatlands in non-commonage areas.

/media/npws/images/media,3740,en.jpg  Commonage (Photo: NPWS)

Upland farmland (Photo: NPWS)

Commonage Framework Planning

Commonage Framework Planning is a joint initiative between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture and Food. Teams combining agricultural and ecological skills to assess the sustainable use of these areas have surveyed all commonage areas in Ireland. To date in excess of 4,400 plans have been prepared, covering more than 440,000 hectares. Where necessary, destocking (removal of some of the stock kept on commonage) is prescribed to ensure recovery of the vegetation. These plans have been implemented through REPS, AEOS and the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme. Commonage framework plans are available for viewing in local Department of Agriculture and NPWS offices and on the link provided.

DAFF and NPWS have agreed to review the implementation and application of commonage framework plans in 2011 and farmers and the farming organisations will be notified of the outcomes from this review.

Farming for conservation in the Burren (BurrenLIFE)

The BurrenLIFE Project was selected by the Member States of the European Union as one of the top 6 "Best of the Best" LIFE Nature projects out of 59 projects assessed in 2010. This is the highest level of international recognition that it is possible for a LIFE Nature project to achieve within the framework of the EU LIFE Programme and a great honour for the country. It is also of great credit to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department, who initiated the Project, the Project partners – Teagasc and the Burren IFA – and the BurrenLIFE team who so successfully steered the 5 year Project.

It is also recognition of the involvement, help, assistance and enthusiasm provided by the Burren farmers who participated in the Project.

Details of the Burren LIFE  Project and the Coillte LIFE Project, which was also in the top 6, can be found on the Best LIFE Nature Projects 2010 page. The methods developed on the 20 farms participating in the LIFE Project are now being implemented on over 140 farms in a new partnership – the Burren Farming for Conservation Programme - with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. As a result, over 13,000ha of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in the Burren are being managed to improve their conservation status.

The BurrenLIFE Project 2005-2010 was a partnership involving the NPWS, Teagasc and the Burren IFA. The objective of this 5 year project was to develop a new model for sustainable agriculture in the Burren in order to conserve the remarkable biodiversity and the habitats of the region designated under the Habitats Directive, while ensuring farming remains profitable. The principal threats to the area are scrub invasion and under and overgrazing.

The Project focused on practical solutions, e.g. scrub removal, improving access, water provision, rebuilding internal walls and developing new feeding systems. 20 farms covering over 3,097 ha were selected using individual farm plans drawn up by the project team.  A number of agreed actions were undertaken and the impact of these actions were monitored.  A major international conference ‘ Farming for conservation – supporting the future’ was held in February 2008. 75% of the Project’s funding was from the EU with the remainder coming from the NPWS.

The Final Report in 2010 indicated positive findings in terms of the impact of the project on

• Priority Habitat quality and extent
• Farmer income
• Water quality
• Animal health and welfare

The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme (BFCP) 2010-2013

This BFCP is a unique agri-environmental programme designed to conserve the habitats of the Burren.  The Programme is aimed at mainstreaming the findings of the BurrenLIFE Project.  The BFCP is a joint initiative between the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. DAFF provide the funding to support the participating farmers, while the cost of administering the Programme is borne by the NPWS.  The team running the Programme are based in the former BurrenLIFE Project offices in Carron in the central Burren.

The BFCP was launched in April 2010 with an invitation to all farmers in the Burren region to apply by mid May. 117 farmers participated in the Programme in the first year and this increased to 143 farmers in the second year. A further increase in the number of farmers participating is expected in the third year.

The objective of the Programme is to conserve and support the heritage, environment and communities of the Burren, with an emphasis on protecting the unique biodiversity of the region, especially within the SACs. To receive financial support the farmers must undertake works under 3 Measures:

• • Measure 1 is the production of species-rich grassland;
• • Measure 2, site enhancement works, including scrub removal, access provision, wall repairs, provision of water;
• • Measure 3, protection of designated land.

Further information, updates and news on BFCP are available on the website http://www.burrenlife.com/.

Scrub in the Burren (Photo: J. Cross)

Members of Research Branch can be contacted by e-mailing: nature.conservation@ahg.gov.ie