Monitoring of Protected Sites
The protection of areas in Northern Ireland which are considered of high importance and which show features which are unique, either for their biodiversity/geodiversity or landscape value, is an essential part of the work of the NIEA.
There are two aspects of this work: -
- The initial assessment of these areas prior to their protection
- The monitoring of these sites to ensure that the correct management and protection are applied.
All the work conducted in the second of these categories is the monitoring of protected sites.
This research often involves the use of specialist researchers who have expert knowledge of the aspect of the areas biology/geology that has caused it to be considered important enough to protect.
We are currently working on a more detailed description of the work done by Natural heritage in the monitoring or protected sites. This will include the work of our terrestrial habitat monitoring team; the marine and freshwater teams and the birds team.
Recent projects
ASSI condition assessment in Northern Ireland (.PDF 43Kb)
The creation and management of marine protected areas in Northern Ireland (.PDF 1.2Mb)
