Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

170 Chapter 7: Nature Figure 7.12  Forest fragmentation in the EU Member States Source: EEA, 2023 8 www.npws.ie/peatlands-and-turf-cutting (accessed 1 April 2024). 9 www.ipcc.ie (accessed 1 April 2024). Over-exploitation Over-exploitation of our natural resources is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Peatlands have been mined for fuel for 400 years in Ireland (Malone and O’Connell, 2009). Ireland’s Atlantic climate and diversity of peatland habitats has resulted in a unique biodiversity that is considerably different from that found elsewhere in Europe (excluding Scotland) and across the world. 8 Today, given the conversion of natural peatlands to agricultural pasture and forestry and practices such as drainage and turf cutting, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council 9 estimates that Ireland has witnessed a 77% loss in peatland habitat, the majority of which has occurred over the past 50 years owing to human activities. Similarly, the NPWS estimated that only 10% of the original raised bog resource and 28% of the original blanket peatland resource are considered natural peatlands and suitable for conservation (DAHG, 2015) (Figure 7.13). In a global study, Fluet-Chouinard et al. (2023) estimated that Ireland had lost up to 90% of its wetlands (peatlands included) since 1700, owing to human activities associated with land drainage and land use change, primarily for agricultural activities and urbanisation. This loss of peatlands and other wetlands (swamps, ponds, etc.) has been detrimental to our native biodiversity.