Natural Heritage Areas

Natural Heritage Areas

The basic designation for wildlife is the Natural Heritage Area (NHA). This is an area considered important for the habitats present or which holds species of plants and animals whose habitat needs protection.

To date in Ireland, 75 raised bogs have been given legal protection, covering some 23,000 hectares. These raised bogs are located mainly in the midlands. A further 73 blanket bogs, covering 37,000ha, mostly in western areas are also designated as NHAs.

And while Ireland has (many) more habitats than that of the bog variety, it’s estimated that Ireland is home to 60% of Europe’s remaining active raised bogs (more info), and are an incredibly diverse and important habitat.

Since the photographing of Ireland commenced, Bogs have been portrayed as places associated with poverty, and as land that had no productive use - only the labour intensive turf-cutting.

It is only when you’re truly in a bog, walking across the spongy, ever-changing surface, that the amazing array of colours within it can be experienced. Spagnum moss is my favourite, going through shades of the brightest, cliche greens, all the way down to burning reds and dried out oranges.

It is now recognised that Ireland’s raised bogs are among Europe’s oldest near-natural ecosystems, dating back over 10,000 years (more info).

One of the few places I’ve visited that has a flowing mixture of habitats within the Natural Heritage Areas is the Suck River Callows. This habitat is primarily flood meadows of wet grassland, with scattered patches of flooded fen, wet woodland and small raised bogs.

While you can know that habitats and ecosystems only work because they are interconnected with each other, it was as a walked (socks already damp from the ever persistent wetlands below me, and clouds above me) through this area that I had one of those moments where I felt the connections of ecosystems so clearly.

Following a trail along a field boundary, a fox bounded out of a gap, looked back at me, and then walked along the trail ahead of me, leading the way down to the river. I followed him for quite some time, neither of us rushing the other. And then a bird flies out of a bush, calling my eyes skywards, and I look back and he’s gone.

Interested in seeing what Natural Heritage Areas exist in your area?

Download my PDF booklet of county maps of Ireland’s Natural Heritage Areas here.

The Open Data for the Natural Heritage Areas can be found here.

This project is funded through the Open Data Engagement Fund. This is a competitive fund designed to provide support towards promoting the use of open data on the national Open Data Portal data.gov.ie.
Learn more about the fund here.

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