When I was rifling through the pages of the latest Environmental Statistics report for NI, I came across a very depressing map.
For the first time this year the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs have produced a greenspace map of areas over two hectares that the public have access to.
This includes natural spaces and trails landowners allow people to visit, including urban and country parks. And it shows just how much of NI is off limits to all of us.
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I’m not going to get into who owns what and what we use our land for - we know most of it is farmed and we need food.
But despite some lovely areas including the Mournes, around Fermanagh’s lakes and up in the Sperrins there really isn’t a lot of accessible outdoor space for folks to ramble, mountain bike, hike and more.
We all know connection with nature is good for us and that nature needs space too.
But there is a much bigger conservation to be had around land use in this wee place.
Leaders around the world agreed to try and conserve 30% of their land for nature and biodiversity at the international summit for biodiversity in Canada last year.
But I really don’t know what hope, if any, we have of doing that here.
Let’s take forests for example
According to Teagasc in the Republic of Ireland a squirrel could travel from one end of the island of Ireland to the other without ever touching the ground as more than 80% of the land (North and South) was covered by forests.
Ireland’s first settlers are said to have arrived around 9,000 years ago and like indigenous tribes in the Amazon, relied on trees for everything from building homes, to hunting weapons, firewood, boats, medicines and even clothing.
But their presence had little effect on the natural vegetation as they had a strong relationship with the forest and took only what they needed.
Around 3,000 years ago that all changed when Neolithic farmers rocked up and began to clear land for vegetation.
Trees were burned down to make way for fields and seedlings didn’t get a chance to grow as they were eaten by livestock.
By 1600 less than 20% of Ireland was covered in forest and their decline was accelerated by the 17th century Plantations of Ireland, when large amounts of trees were felled for new villages and homes.
Then large swathes of oak were felled to rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666.
Teagasc adds: “The late 19th century saw many mobile sawmills travelling around Ireland cutting down the last few remaining forests.
“This meant that by the end of the 19th century, Ireland’s forest cover had been reduced from 80% 6,000 years ago to about 1%.”
Today, the South has around 11% forest cover which they hope to increase to 18% in the coming decades - but large sections of it are farmed for commercial wood.
The North is estimated to have around 9% forest cover, but between 2000 and 2020 we lost 20.1kha.
Instead of vast areas of native forest and peatlands where people can visit and nature can thrive, we now have grass and commercial timber as far as the eye can see, putting the land to work for money rather than biodiversity.
Even in the mountains, where things could grow, sheep still roam freely eating everything they come across, preventing any hope of restoring these lands to their original state.
But there are glimmers of hope on the horizon.
DAERA plans to plant 18 million trees this decade, but the jury is still out on whether the right trees are going in the right places and just how much of it is forest for nature as opposed to cutting down for wood.
While Belfast City Council and NI Water have both got a target of planting one million new trees.
Then there’s the Woodland Trust’s efforts to rewild in the Belfast Hills and Mourne Park, where they have just bought another 32 hectares of land to add to the 156 hectares of old forest they took ownership two years ago.
In that time they say the public have paid 60,000 visits to the site, which was opened to the public for the first time in 500 years.
So it just shows you - if you provide natural areas to the people they will come!
Ian McCurley, Woodland Trust Northern Ireland Director said: “As Northern Ireland doesn’t allow unrestricted access for the public, opening up Mourne Park has given us an ideal opportunity to provide access that historically hasn't been available – giving the public the chance to reap the benefits of this beautiful site.
“The Woodland Trust asked for public support to acquire additional land that came up for sale last year. And thanks to our appeal and financial support from lead funder Ulster Garden Village Limited supported by funding from NIEA, we will be able to buffer a stretch of vital ancient woodland by planting thousands of native trees on the neighbouring land.
“The additional trees will cushion part of the boundary of Mourne Park and extend vital habitats for nature.”
I hope more organisations and even Stormont departments take a leaf out of their book and start planting trees for the sake of the trees and really think about what they cut down.
Northern Ireland could be a much greener place, with even more space for the people to enjoy biodiversity I hope will thrive again - we just have to find a way to make it happen and that begins with educating people about why trees and nature are so important.
Look after our countryside and yourself if your heading outdoors this weekend
Outdoor Recreation is encouraging those heading to the great outdoors this May bank holiday to be extra cautious.
That means planning ahead by checking the weather and bringing the right equipment, such as clothing, footwear, a map, a wetsuit and paddles.
The organisation is also urging people to keep their dog on a lead to avoid livestock worrying and disruption to wildlife, and that they only camp or light a BBQ in a designated area, to light fires and clean up after themselves and their dogs.
Kerry Kirkpatrick, Communication and Training Executive at Outdoor Recreation NI, says: “With the last bank holiday in May fast approaching, we are encouraging everyone to get out and about and explore the many beauty spots that our country has to offer. However, we would encourage them to do so responsibly.
“The OutmoreNI.com website provides information on the many types of trails and places available to explore in Northern Ireland, and can be filtered by county and by the type of activity that can be carried out, such as walking, cycling, mountain biking or kayaking. Users can even use the site to identify what type of place they would like to visit for example beach, park, nature reserve or forest.
“The site is regularly updated and also provides information on how to stay on the ‘Right Side of Outside’ and explore NI’s outdoor spaces safely and responsibly.”
To discover new outdoor trails and places to explore throughout Northern Ireland, visit https://outmoreni.com
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