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

Chapter 6: Nature 4. Drivers and Pressures Key Pressures on Ireland’s Habitats and Species Changing land use, pollution and unsustainable exploitation are degrading and fragmenting habitats and impacting species. The main pressures on Ireland’s protected habitats are agriculture and other land uses such as extraction of resources (including minerals and peat) and forestry, urbanisation, recreation and invasive species (Figure 6.5). It is likely that pressures due to climate change, agricultural system changes and invasive species will remain the same or increase unless action is taken now (DCHG, 2017). The pressures on our protected species (Figure 6.6) are similar and can sometimes be quite specific, such as physical barriers in rivers affecting fish movement. A wide range of species are reported to be negatively affected by agricultural activities and extraction of resources (NPWS, 2019). Pollution, as illustrated in Fig 6.6, appears to impact relatively few habitats, but this is because pollution from agricultural sources and forestry is accounted for in these categories. Figure 6.5  Percentage of habitats impacted by pressure/threat categories of medium and high importance (Source: NPWS, 2019) Threats Pressures Agriculture Forestry Extraction of resources Energy production processes and infrastructure Transport systems Residential, commercial, industrial and recreational infrastructure and areas Extraction and cultivation of biological living resources Other human intrusions Alien and problematic species Mixed source pollution Human-induced changes in water regimes Natural processes Natural catastrophes Climate change No pressures or pressures unknown 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 % of habitats impacted 137