It will take years for the Mourne Mountains to recover from the recent devastating fires as the landscape is still scarred from the blaze of 2021 , the National Trust has warned.
The conservation charity says the recent Mournes fires are ‘extremely worrying’ as they launch a new report on the condition, recovery and approach to managing their land. The Fire Service spent two weeks battling hundreds of wildfires across Northern Ireland during the recent spell of dry weather prior to Easter.
The ‘Donard Nature Recovery Report’ highlights the fragility of the delicate habitats in the Co Down area and outlines the condition of the land, particularly following the fire in April 2021 when flames ravaged 720 acres (250ha) of land in the Mournes, including part of the country’s highest peak, Slieve Donard. An area once brimming with flora and fauna was scorched, vegetation destroyed, and species diversity reduced.
Melina Quinn, National Trust Nature Conservation Adviser said: “The 2021 fire has had a devastating and lasting impact on the surrounding environment which is a precious and scientifically important area, home to a rich variety of wildlife and habitats that need care. This report highlights that nature is being subjected to a myriad of threats and pressures; from recreation, burning, grazing, ammonia deposition, land use changes and climate change.
“We now have evidence of catastrophic declines in invertebrates following the 2021 wildfire - a change on this scale, three years after the initial burn provides evidence of a significant ongoing impact. This, in addition to the unfavourable condition of our priority habitats is extremely worrying.”
Following the fire in 2021, the National Trust, which looks after 526ha of upland habitat in the Eastern Mournes, has been trialling different methods to rejuvenate the land and bring it back to full health for the plants and animals that live there.
This includes partnering with key organisations in ‘Forever Mournes’ to work together to protect this landscape and a wide range of site management strategies including conservation grazing, path maintenance, a wildfire plan, peatland restoration and a variety of monitoring programmes looking at habitats and species.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said: “DAERA note that the detailed monitoring report by the National Trust outlines how detrimental unplanned wildfires are for biodiversity in our uplands. The monitoring, modelling and post fire recovery will feed into a wider discussion on wildfire prevention and post fire recovery for the Mournes and across Northern Ireland.
“The Department welcomes the report by the National Trust which demonstrates the impact of the 2021 fire on Slieve Donard within the Eastern Mournes Special Area of Conservation. The Department is pleased to support this practical work, field trials and stakeholder engagement and look forward to this work continuing so that any lessons on wildfire prevention can be implemented in the Mournes and other upland areas.
“We share concerns about the ongoing wildfires in the Mournes and the damage that they are causing. The majority of citizens are to be commended for using the countryside carefully during periods of enhanced wildfire risk. DAERA intends to continue support for wildfire work in the Mournes and to procure the development of a new Wildfire Plan for the area.”
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