EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Figure 5.2  Summary of CORINE land cover and trend statistics from 1990 to 2018 (Source: EPA analysis of CORINE data time series) CORINE 2018 SUMMARY Land cover class 2018 % of national area % change since 2012 Agricultural areas 67.6 –0.10 Wetlands 14.9 –0.06 Forests 9.5 0.02 Semi-natural and low vegetation 3.8 0.10 Artificial surfaces 2.4 0.03 1990 2000 2006 2012 2018 Agricultural Areas Wetlands Forest Corine Land Cover Statistics (% National Area) Semi-Natural & Low Vegetation Artificial Surfaces 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Analysis of CORINE data as an indicator of land change The latest CORINE information available for 2018 is summarised in Figure 5.2. It shows that agriculture is the dominant national land cover type, representing 67.6 per cent of the national area in 2018. While this represents a small decrease since 2012, there is an overall downward trend, with a reduction of 8230 hectares since 1990. The main change in land cover has been from agriculture to forestry and artificial areas. In 2018, wetlands represented 14.9 per cent of the national area, a moderate decrease since 2012. However, in 1990, wetlands represented 18.6 per cent of the national area. There has therefore been a 20 per cent reduction in this important land cover type since 1990, with a loss of 258,800 hectares. The primary change was from peat bogs to transitional woodland scrub and coniferous planting in the 1990s. This transition in land cover type usually happens after peat is extracted or on peats that have been reclaimed for agricultural use. Other reductions in wetlands relate to recently burnt areas and the re-mapping of intertidal mudflats. In summary; there has been a definite long-term downward trend in the percentage of the national area covered with wetlands. 106