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

Chapter 5: Land and Soil 4. Sectoral Overview of Land Cover and Spatial Plans Land cover describes the physical land type on the Earth’s surface, such as wetlands or forests. This section provides an overview of the main land cover sectors and the key plans within each sector that are helping to address the environmental pressures and challenges. Commentary is also provided on wider interactions within spatial planning processes and opportunities to bring land cover matters more deeply into these processes. Where more detailed sectoral land cover data exist, they are presented instead of the lower resolution CORINE data. Development by relevant government departments and agencies and wider stakeholders of an integrated national land cover strategy, supported by detailed mapping, monitoring and reporting, would be highly beneficial. It would ensure that sectoral policies for extensive categories of land cover, such as forestry, peatlands and agriculture, align with national-level environmental policy commitments. It would also help inform both higher level spatial planning strategies, such as the National Planning Framework, and spatial planning at regional and local levels. Coordination of the management of land cover, discussed in more detail in the following sections for agriculture, peatlands, wetlands and forestry is particularly important to allow us to manage and coordinate Ireland’s response to climate change, in both a sectoral and a complementary manner. Chapter 2 provides more information on Ireland’s climate change response and sets out some key recommendations. Agriculture Agriculture is the dominant land use type in Ireland, accounting for over 65 per cent of national land cover. Farming in Ireland is closely linked to the EU Common Agricultural Policy and associated schemes. These encourage the maintenance of soil fertility and organic matter levels in farming practices. It is also worth noting that grasslands in Ireland are a net source of CO 2 as a result of the drainage of organic soils. This is discussed in more detail in Chapter 13. Correct soil management forms part of farm ‘cross-compliance’ activities and Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions regulations. These activities and regulations provide for the protection and maintenance of soil organic matter, the prevention of the deterioration of habitats and water protection. In general, this involves farming in a more sustainable way. Soil nutrient testing helps identify the nutrient concentrations in agricultural soils and the nutrient requirements to allow crop growth in an environmentally sustainable manner. Examples of activities considered under cross-compliance include poaching, eco-schemes such as GLAS (Green, Low- Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme), nutrient management planning and mandatory liming to increase soil pH. In 2018, the European Commission published its proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy beyond 2020. It set out ambitious requirements including protecting wetlands and peatlands to preserve carbon-rich soils and the use of specific nutrient management tools. 109