Ireland now has the ‘second-smallest’ forest area in Europe
Just 10 per cent of Ireland’s land is now forest – one of the smallest in Europe proportionally – which experts say will have a substantial impact on biodiversity. OF IRELAND’S TOTAL land surface area, just ten per cent is comprised of forests, which represents the second lowest proportional percentage of any country in Europe
“Forest biodiversity is not as prominent a part of the Ireland’s natural heritage as it is of most other countries. Although the majority of Ireland would once have been forested, Ireland’s forest cover was reduced over centuries by human activities. Forests comprise only about 10 per cent of Ireland’s total land surface area, the second lowest level of any country in Europe,"
The majority of the Ireland’s forests are conifer plantations from the twentieth century, with native woodlands making up only about 1 per cent of the country’s land area. Approximately 30 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered by forests, which have been shown to be valuable to society for many reasons -including heritage, landscape, timber, recreational opportunities, climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. However, experts have raised concerns about a decline in forest biodiversity worldwide and have made conservation a global priority.
