Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

116 Chapter 5: Land Table 5.1  (continued) Land cover type Difference Primary reason for differences Heath and bracken +4.7% New mapping methods allow heath and bracken to be distinguished from peat, accounting for most of the increase. Some smaller areas in CLC grassland and exposed surfaces were also identified Artificial surfaces +1.6% Buildings, roads and other small artificial areas that were not mapped in CLC have been identified in the NLC Map. These additional areas transitioned primarily from CLC grassland Cultivated land +1.5% Smaller areas of cultivated land, previously generalised into CLC grassland areas, are now identified in the NLC Map CLC, Corine Land Cover; NLC: National Land Cover In summary, the National Land Cover Map provides greater detail and evidence on land cover in Ireland by identifying smaller areas of importance that are not visible in the coarser Corine Land Cover. As well as providing a powerful tool for decision-making on land management, the detail of the National Land Cover Map improves our ability to monitor and assess impacts on water, climate, air, noise and biodiversity. 1 The 2020 Census of Agriculture from the Central Statistics Office estimates that 60% of Ireland’s land is used for agriculture. The higher figure in Corine Land Cover data is a result of these data’s coarser resolution. Corine Land Cover data show the following four broad trends since 1990: 1. Ireland’s main land cover type is agriculture. This figure has stayed consistently around 67% in Corine Land Cover data since 1990. 1 There have been changes in agricultural land cover: agricultural land has been lost to artificial surfaces through development and road building and gained through other activities, including drainage of wetlands. 2. Artificial surfaces have increased. Although they cover a small area, artificial surfaces have almost doubled since 1990 from 1.45% of Ireland’s area in 1990 to 2.4% in 2018, mainly at the expense of agricultural land. 3. Wetland area has decreased, from 18.5% cover in 1990 to 14.8% in 2018 (extensive drainage activity also occurred before 1990). 4. Forest and semi-natural areas have increased, from 10% in 1990 to 13% in 2018. Changes in Ireland’s land cover (both before and after 1990) can be partly attributed to policy formulated for specific national interests that had unforeseen consequences for Ireland’s land cover profile. The decrease in wetland areas can be linked to more than one policy decision. For example, one historical policy decision was to produce and market turf and turf products in the ‘national interest’, outlined in the Turf Development Act (No. 10 of 1946). Other drivers include policies that incentivised the agricultural productivity of land and the planting of more trees. The National Land Cover Map shows that Ireland’s residential development pattern is the result of a long-term mix of urban centres and extensive single housing in the open countryside. Ireland’s land cover profile according to the National Land Cover Map is shown in Figure 5.4 and Table 5.2.