|
| |
|
NATURE |
| |
|
|
| |
Ireland conjures up images of a romantic wild territory unscarred by
human activity - a somewhat rosy picture, but with more than a little
truth to it. Genuine wilderness may be scarce, but centuries of economic
deprivation have ensured that most of Ireland is a rural landscape in
which the only intervention has come from generations of farmers.
The topography of Ireland is fairly homogenous: there are few high
mountain ranges and most of the centre of the country is covered by a
flat boggy plain. And with only four degrees of latitude from north to
south, it lacks extremes of weather, the enveloping Atlantic Ocean
producing a mild, damp climate. Summers are rarely hot, winters rarely
cold, and in parts of the west it rains on two days out of every three.
In these conditions you'd expect to find broad-leaved woodland, but
intensive pressure on the landscape during the centuries leading up to
the famine of 1845 to 1849 denuded the country of its original tree
cover. It has been replaced mostly by a patchwork of small grass fields
divided by wild untidy hedgerows - long lines of trees acting as refuges
for the former woodland community of plants and animals. The small
population in Ireland today means that over much of the country the
intensity of land use is lower than in many other European countries.
Mixed farms are still more common than specialized intensive units.
Natural habitats such as peat bogs, dunes and wetlands still survive
here, having all but disappeared elsewhere under the relentless pace of
modern development. However, the pressures are growing. The great
midland bogs are being rapidly stripped for fuel; mountain-sides are
disappearing under blankets of exotic conifers; shoals of dead fish are
becoming all too frequent a sight in Irish waterways; and rapid housing
developments threaten some of Ireland's most valuable habitats, most
notably in coastal regions
Flora
The flowers of the Irish countryside are impressive perhaps more in
their profusion than in their variety. Certainly for anyone travelling
from Britain only a few of the common species are going to be
unfamiliar, and on the whole it is in the sheer abundance of habitats
that the interest lies, rather than any particularly unusual plants
Mammals
Ireland, like many islands, has a relatively small number of mammal
species; besides its famous lack of snakes, there are no moles, for
example. However, the largely undeveloped landscapes mean that there are
plenty of opportunities for observing mammals in the wild, particularly
in remote areas
Birds
What Ireland may lack in mammals it more than makes up for in bird life.
The spectacular coastline provides superb opportunities for spotting
seabirds and, in season, flocks of migrating species. There's interest
inland too, with wetlands providing largely undisturbed habitats for a
great range of waterbirds and mountainous areas harbouring birds of prey
Useful contacts
ENFO , 17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin 2 (tel 01/6793144).
Invaluable resource centre for information on environmental issues and
campaign groups in the Republic; personal visits welcome, and a wealth
of literature available.
Northern Irish Tourist Board , 59 North Street, Belfast, BT1 1NB (tel
028/9024 6609).
Detailed information on birdwatching in Northern Ireland
|
| |
|
