Habitats

 

Northern Ireland contains a wide range of habitats both on land (terrestrial) and in an around bodies of water (freshwater, marine and coastal).
Those which have been targeted for action plans are woodlands, peatlands, freshwater and wetlands, coastal and marine, heathlands and farmlands and grasslands.

Human activity over the past 10,000 years has altered the original land cover and created the land based or terrestrial semi-natural habitats seen throughout Northern Ireland today.
These habitats can vary greatly and often merge into one another, dependant on local conditions, such as changes in climate and soil.

Coastal habitats in Northern Ireland are also rich in biodiversity being influenced by the interaction between wind and water,often creating the optimum conditions in which a wide variety of plants and animals can live.

Marine habitats around Northern Ireland are extremely rich and varied with many examples of marine mammals, plants and species being frequent visitors and residents to our shores.

Implementation groups have been set up to oversee each habitat type: Coastal and Marine Biodiversity, Farmland Biodiversity, Freshwater and Wetlands, Peatlands and Uplands Biodiversity and the Northern Ireland Native Woodland Group.