Biodiversity monitoring and policy support in Northern Ireland

Published source details McAdam J., McEvoy P., Flexen M. & Hoppe G.M. (2005) Biodiversity monitoring and policy support in Northern Ireland. Tearmann, 4, 15-22.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Pay farmers to cover the cost of conservation measures (as in agri-environment schemes) Action Link

Pay farmers to cover the cost of conservation measures (as in agri-environment schemes)

A replicated controlled trial from 1994-2004 in the five Environmentally Sensitive Areas in Northern Ireland (McAdam et al. 2005) (same study as (McEvoy et al. 2006)) found that overall, farms without Environmentally Sensitive Area agreements showed a decrease in invertebrate diversity, and a decrease in the number of plant species characteristic of infertile soils, while these decreases did not happen on Environmentally Sensitive Area farms. The number of plant species characteristic of infertile soils (stress-tolerant species) on hay meadows significantly increased from 1994-2004 on Environmentally Sensitive Area agreement farms, but decreased on farms without Environmentally Sensitive Area agreements (numbers n[ot given). Two ground beetle (Carabidae) species of conservation interest increased on farms with Environmentally Sensitive Area agreements between 1994 and 2004, each in one of the five Environmentally Sensitive Areas. The ground beetle Cymindis vaporariorum, characteristic of upland heaths and raised bogs, increased in the Glens and Rathlin Island Environmentally Sensitive Area; Carabus clatratus (a wet grassland/bog species) increased on participant farms in the West Fermanagh and Erne Lakelands Environmentally Sensitive Area. Plants, birds, spiders (Araneae) and ground beetles were monitored from 1994-2004, on farms with and without agreements, in the five Environmentally Sensitive Areas: Mourne and Slieve Croob (established 1988), Slieve Gullion (established 1994), Antrim Coast, Glens and Rathlin Island (established 1989), Sperrins (established 1994) and West Fermanagh and Erne Lakelands (established 1993). Monitoring was on permanent randomly placed quadrats, in seven habitat types: wet grassland, limestone grassland, unimproved grassland, hay meadows, heather moorland, woodland and field boundaries. Quadrats were partially surveyed every three years, and fully surveyed in 1994 and 2004.