Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

122 Chapter 5: Land Land use as an environmental pressure Environmental indicators are measures that provide evidence about the status of the environment. In phase 1 of the Land Use Review, existing indicators were examined to assess the environmental impacts of land use (DAFM and DECC, 2023c). Greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland’s land is a net source of GHG emissions. It accounted for 9.3% of national total emissions (including LULUCF) in 2023 (EPA, 2023). The main sources of emissions are the drainage of grasslands on organic soils and the exploitation of wetlands for peat extraction (EPA, 2024). Forest land, on the other hand, is a carbon sink. However, this carbon sink is on a declining trend given the age profile of Ireland’s forests. Ireland’s Climate Change Assessment (Thorne et al. , 2023) notes that achieving net zero in this sector will require unprecedented rates of afforestation, rewetting of organic soils, peatland restoration and enhanced carbon sequestration in mineral soils. Water quality. Current land use practices in Ireland are putting pressure on water quality. The Water Action Plan 2024 (DHLGH, 2024) identifies agricultural land use as the most common and significant pressure on water bodies, impacting over 1000 of Ireland’s water bodies. Urban run-off and domestic waste water are also significant pressures on water bodies and are closely related to residential and industrial land use. Forestry and mining land use are also linked to significant pressures on water bodies. Biodiversity. Current land use practices in Ireland are impacting biodiversity. Agriculture is the most prevalent pressure and threat to protected habitats (NPWS, 2019). Forestry impacts 35% of protected habitats, largely due to non-woodland habitats being converted to commercial forestry, forestry activities impacting water quality and drainage for afforestation. Mining and quarrying affected 32% of protected habitats; this was due to the negative direct effects on habitats of the extraction of minerals and the impacts of peat extraction. Such extraction removes peat bog habitats and has negative consequences for freshwater habitats. Industrial, infrastructure and residential land use all result in soil sealing, which destroys, reduces or fragments areas of natural habitat. Fragmentation is a pressure on all habitats and species because it can limit the area available for foraging for food and it breaks populations down into smaller (and less genetically diverse) communities. National Biodiversity Indicator C.1.i rates fragmentation in Ireland as ‘amber’ on a red-amber- green scale (NBDC, 2021). European Union (EU) strategies and objectives relating to no net land take are important for preserving intact habitats. The potential impact of urban development on habitats can be mitigated by land recycling and by the densification of urban areas, rather than by using land with higher biodiversity potential. Soil sealing. Imperviousness (covering soil with an impermeable surface such as concrete) has increased in Ireland since 1990. Sealed soil cannot be used for other important services, including growing food, supporting ecosystems or flood mitigation. Most of the soil sealed in Ireland was originally grassland, unlike in other EU Member States, where mainly cropland has been sealed. Soil sealing arises from covering land with housing, industrial or other built-up areas and with infrastructure.