A desk-based scoping study and analysis regarding the mapping, monitoring and protection of Ancient and Long-established Woodland in Ireland

Description

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is seeking quotes from interested parties to conduct a desk-based scoping study and analysis regarding the identification, mapping, monitoring and protection of Ancient and Long-established Woodland (ALEW) in Ireland. The Programme for Government states, “We will … review the protection (including enforcement of relevant legislation) of our natural heritage, including hedgerows, native woodland and wetlands”. The strong focus on old-growth forests in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has highlighted a particular need for improved identification, mapping, protection and monitoring of these forests (Barredo et al. 2021). At EU level, the Working Group on Forests and Nature (a sub-group of the Coordination Group for Biodiversity and Nature) is developing guidelines for the definition, mapping, monitoring and strict protection of all the EU’s remaining primary and old-growth forests. This has highlighted the need for a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge of ALEW in Ireland to support evidence-based decision-making and inform future work. ALEW sites are relatively rare in the Irish context. They support rare and specialist species and exhibit higher levels of biodiversity than woodlands of recent origin. They include some of the most natural and least disturbed examples of woodland habitat remaining in Ireland. Ancient woodlands are irreplaceable and are considered to be of extremely high conservation value. ALEW sites provide valuable ecosystem services such as long-term carbon storage. They are also of cultural and historical importance. However, significant gaps remain in the knowledge and protection of ALEW sites in Ireland. See RfT document.