The shocking decline of our island’s native plants has been laid bare in a new report described as “a wake up call” by experts.
It follows 20-years work by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland which has just released a new Plant Atlas.
Thousands of botanists were involved in the research, which found 56% of native Irish plants have declined in range and abundance and are now outnumbered by non native flora 987 to 952.
Read more: NI species 'under threat' list sees more than 100 animals added
BSBI said many of the habitats Ireland’s native plants depend on have been destroyed or changed through farming and forestry since the 1950s.
Native grassland plants have suffered the most while lakeland and wetland plants have also declined.
In marked contrast, the overwhelming majority (80%) of species introduced into Ireland since 1500 have increased and in some cases, like Himalayan Balsam and rhododendron, become invasive and overwhelm native plants.
BSBI President, Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, said: “Plant Atlas 2020 is a massive achievement, but it must be seen as a wake-up call for action. Plants are the basis of all biodiversity.
“The results of this unprecedented survey will inform our Governments and help strengthen their work to conserve plants and the habitats on which they depend.
“We are also working with the wider public, providing training and resources to help people understand more about Ireland’s wild plants.”
Julia Hanmer, Chief Executive, Julia Hanmer added: “In Ireland, nearly 3 million plant records of 1939 species, collected by 2,500 botanists, fed into the Atlas project... and highlights the urgent need for action to ensure that going forwards our wild plants thrive and are valued.”
Re-seeding, over-fertilising, nitrogen deposition, herbicides, soil drainage and changes in grazing pressure have all contributed to the decline of species like Agrimony, Field Gentian, Marsh Lousewort and many others say BSBI.
They also raised the issue of peat bogs being planted with conifers or drained for agriculture, despite their vital roles in carbon storage saying their restoration is essential.
Evidence also showed climate change may have impacted Irish flora by helping some more southerly species spread north.
Dr Kevin Walker, BSBI Head of Science and Plant Atlas 2020 co-author, says: “There’s lots we can do to reverse these declines, but the most important are to increase the protection plants receive, extend the habitat available to them, and to place their needs at the very heart of nature conservation. “We also need to ensure that our land, water and soil are managed more sustainably so that plants, and the species which rely upon them for food and shelter, can thrive.
“Plant Atlas 2020 provides the evidence we need to do this important work, but we’ll need even more research and monitoring to help better conserve our wild plants and their vitally important habitats in the decades to come.”
READ NEXT:
- Curlews and corncrakes at risk of extinction while puffins in peril
Watch: Fears new lighting drove away Belfast's famous starling murmuration
- New air pollution site reveals the toxins outside your front door
- DAERA facing legal action over gas caverns near Game of Thrones site
- 'Badgers should be vaccinated for bovine TB not killed'
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
