Natural Heritage of Mourne AONB

Moorland

Above 200m poor soils, low temperatures, high rainfall and a short growing season combine to produce a harsh climate for plant growth. These conditions also mark the limit of cultivation in the hills. Moorland soils tend to be shallow and poor in nutrients and support only those plants which can cope with such difficult conditions. Heathers and grasses grow well and carpet the hillsides and peaty ground throughout the Mournes. A range of other more unusual plants can be found at different elevations or close to bog pools. Several birds, animals and insects also have particular needs which only moorland or inaccessible parts of the Mournes provide. Birds such as peregrines and red grouse - which require luxuriant heather for food and shelter - are best looked for through the heart of the hills.

Woodland

Improbable as it may seem, much of the moorland habitat on the lower mountain slopes has arisen through man's removal of trees and the prevention of regeneration by grazing livestock and occasional burning. The native woods that remain are few and far between. For example only one pocket of extensive oak forest survives, now protected as a nature reserve on the slopes behind Rostrevor. Elsewhere, planted woods enhance the landscape at Mourne Park, Tollymore, Castlewellan and Donard Park, where older stands of mixed broadleaved trees grow alongside more recent coniferous plantations. Stone walls rather than hedgerows are the common field boundary between the mountains and the sea, whereas inland of the mountains there is a distinctive mix of tall hedgerows, streamside woods and ribbons of trees lakes trapped by drumlins.

Coast

The Mournes' coastal scenery has been shaped by the interaction of the sea with the land, by fluctuating sea levels and by erosion and deposition. Terraces which follow the shoreline near Glasdrumman and elsewhere mark 'raised beaches'. These indicate the position of the coastline during the last Ice Age, now left high and dry since the land rose following the retreat of the ice sheets. Sand and shingle drifted by currents has created the spectacular dune coast at Murlough and the sandy beaches at Cranfield. Along less accessible stretches - such as the headlands, terraces and eroding cliffs extending south from Newcastle - unimproved pastures, scrub and colourful communities for maritime plants fringe the shore, which in places also displays many features of geological interest. In contrast, the fjord-like inlet of Carlingford contains island outcrops, tidal mudflats and areas of saltmarsh important for a range of birds and other wildlife.