THE FINDINGS of the first comprehensive assessment of the status of protected species and their habitats in Ireland are "very stark", according to Dr Ciarán O'Keeffe, one of the directors of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
But he said it was hardly surprising that decades of intensive agriculture and at least 12 years of the economic boom had taken a toll on the natural environment, and, in some cases such as the freshwater pearl mussel, put the survival of species in danger.
The report was compiled under the EU Habitats Directive, the single most important piece of legislation governing the conservation of biodiversity in Europe, which became Irish law in 1997. It does not include wild birds, which are covered under a different directive.
It found that only 7 per cent of the habitats examined had "good" status, with 46 per cent "inadequate" and 47 per cent "bad". Of particular concern is the status of raised bogs in the midlands, of which less than 1 per cent survive and even this is being "rapidly lost".
Another habitat in serious peril is lowland hay meadows, important for birds such as the corncrake and plants such as the cornflower, which have almost disappeared with the modernisation of agriculture.
Sand dunes are also under threat from tourism and recreational development.
Many habitats associated with water were considered to be in "bad" condition, as even moderate declines in water quality make rivers and lakes unsuitable for many fish and invertebrate species.
Other water-based habitats in danger include coastal lagoons, lakes and fens.
The report paints a more encouraging picture of Ireland's animals and plants.
Roughly 50 per cent of the species examined were given "good" status, while only 10 per cent are considered "bad".
Species such as bats, seals, dolphins and whales were all rated "good".
However, there is a real fear that the freshwater pearl mussel, which can live to an age of 130 years, is on the brink of extinction in Ireland.
The natterjack toad is another species considered in "bad" status but a programme is in place to expand the pond habitat it needs.
The assessments were carried out by expert ecologists and then screened by scientists in the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Each species or habitat was assessed according to its range across Ireland, the population, the quality of its habitat and its future prospects.
Dr O'Keeffe pointed out that the template laid down by the EU is "very strict".
The format for the assessment of conservation status involves the application of a "traffic-light" scheme and brings together information on each of the four parameters for habitats and species.
Each parameter was classified as being "favourable" (good), "unfavourable-inadequate" (poor) or "unfavourable-bad" (bad) - colour-coded green, amber and red respectively.
If any one of the four was assessed as "red", the overall assessment was also "red".
The main threats and pressures on species and their habitats in Ireland include direct damage, such as peat-cutting, drainage and infilling, building and road- making, reclamation of wetlands such as bogs and fens, and removal of sand and gravel.
Also implicated in the loss of habitats are overgrazing by cattle or sheep, pollution of waters by nutrients or silt, "unsustainable harvesting" and invasive alien species; the latter would include rhododendron in the Killarney National Park, for example.
The assessments were required under European law, which stipulates that Ireland sets about improving the situation and, in particular, ensures that habitats and species in Special Areas of Conservation are maintained or, if necessary, restored.
According to the report, the main objectives over the coming five years must be to achieve an improvement in the status of priority habitats that were assessed as "bad", in particular raised bog, but also blanket bog, lagoons, sand dunes and some woodlands.
Measures would also have to be taken to achieve an improvement of the species assessed as "bad", particularly the freshwater pearl mussel, as well as the Desmoulins whorl snail, natterjack toad and three fish species - salmon, twaite shad and pollan.
"None of these priorities will be easily achieved, and some will take many years to show real improvement," the report concedes.
But it points out that many policies already in place would have beneficial effects, such as the removal of headage payments.
A full copy of the report may be downloaded from www.npws.ie
