EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016 - An Assessment

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61 Chapter 4: Nature
n Aran LIFE (2014‑2017) seeks to develop best
conservation management practices of local farmers on
designated Natura 2000 sites on the Aran Islands13
n Kerry LIFE aims to support local communities in the
Caragh and Kerry Blackwater areas to help restore
populations of freshwater pearl mussel14
n The Raised Bog Restoration LIFE project 2011‑2015
focused on demonstrating best practice in bog restoration
in Ireland.15 The LIFE Irish Raised Bogs project 2016-
2020 will focus on restoring 12 active raised bogs within
Ireland’s SAC network16
n The EPA Research Programme has funded over 30
research projects between 2007 and 2015, with a total
commitment from the EPA of approximately €6 million.
The range of projects funded includes desk studies,
scholarships, fellowships and large-scale multi-annual
and multi-partner awards.
The Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services sub-pillar
of the EPA Research Programme has a strong focus on
policies for biodiversity conservation and protection. It
has been driven by national plans, strategies, European
directives and regulations, and international obligations.
Key achievements of the EPA Research Programme
n The Ag-Biota project outputs represented a significant
contribution to Ireland’s obligations under the United
Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and will
assist in the national aspiration to halt and reverse the
decline in biodiversity in the wider countryside
n The BOGLAND report provided large-scale analysis
and findings demonstrating that the Irish State needs
to change the way in which the peatland resource
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is currently viewed and managed if it wishes to
secure the multiple benefits offered by these natural
ecosystems and avoid the costly consequences of
further unsustainable management of peatland
n Outputs from the BIOFOREST project have been
used in the development of the Forest Environment
Protection Scheme
n The SIMBIOSYS project quantified impacts on
biodiversity of key activities (bioenergy crops, road
landscaping and aquaculture) and identified some win–
win situations where both biodiversity and sectoral
outputs can be maximised
n The HYDROFOR project investigated the impacts of
forestry operations on Ireland’s aquatic ecology and will
inform forest policy review and WFD implementation,
environmental considerations in the development
of forestry programmes, the refinement of forest
and water quality guidelines and guidance on best
practice in relation to forest operations and appropriate
mitigation measures (e.g. aquatic buffer zones and
sediment traps) aimed at reducing pollutant inputs.
The latter is especially relevant in the development of
measures to protect endangered species such as the
freshwater pearl mussel.
Priority areas for nature research
n Furthering our knowledge base on the role of the
natural environment, its resources and ecological limits
and our understanding and protection of ecosystems,
along with their role in sustaining the economy and
human wellbeing. In particular, this will enable us to
increase our understanding of peatlands (ecosystem
services and mapping) and support the management
of invasive species
n Engaging the public in the protection and improvement
of the environment via a rolling programme of citizen
science projects.