7.8 Landscape

7.8 Landscape

The RSES recognises the important place of landscape considerations, including in terms of placemaking, culture and attractiveness. The diverse range of scenic landscapes of the Region stretch from the Irish Sea and the eastern seaboard with its islands, seascapes, waterscapes, beaches, bays and estuaries westwards to the River Shannon and its callows; and to the lakes, wetlands, fens, eskers, bogs and agricultural lands in between. The Region is home to the Slieve Bloom and the Wicklow Mountains and significant natural and built watercourses such as the Royal and Grand canals and the rolling riverine landscapes of the Boyne, Liffey, Barrow and Nore River Valleys and a number of historic and demesne landscapes, planned estates and gardens.

Landscape Character Assessment

Landscape means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors (Article 1a of the European Landscape Convention). Ireland signed and ratified the Council of Europe’s European Landscape Convention (ELC) which promotes a wider concept of the landscape as defined by the interaction of both human and natural, covering urban, peri-urban and rural areas as well as land, inland waters, coastal and marine areas.

Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) is a tool for identifying the features that give a specific area its ‘sense of place’. Landscape characterisation should be integrated with and, where appropriate, informed by green infrastructure strategies.

The NLS identifies the need for a national GIS platform to provide the structure for on-going collection, monitoring and review of the landscape’s physical, scientific, ecological, biodiversity and cultural assets. Although a number of local authorities in the Region have undertaken landscape character assessments, there remain gaps in coverage and inconsistencies in approach. The national landscape character assessment, when complete, will provide consistency in how we characterise and connect with the landscape, and provide a framework for regional and local landscape character assessments.

The ELC recognises the importance of all landscapes, and not just exceptional landscapes, as having a crucial bearing on quality of life and as deserving attention in landscape policy. It aims to encourage public bodies to adopt policies and measures at national, regional and local level to promote, manage and plan landscapes. In an Irish context the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 will continue to govern decision making in relation to landscape.

The National Landscape Strategy for Ireland (NLS) provides a high-level policy framework to achieve balance between the protection, management and planning of the landscape by way of supporting actions. The NLS recognises the importance of landscape protection and its interconnectivity with biodiversity and climate change. The Strategy includes a core objective to develop a national Landscape Character Assessment, to provide a framework for greater consistency in the approach to landscape classification and assessment to ensure the conservation of special landscape areas, which by their nature often extend across administrative boundaries.

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Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy

Soils

Peatlands

The main pressures on soil resources in Ireland arise from intensive agriculture and organic waste disposal, inappropriately located forestry, industry, peat extraction, urbanisation and infrastructure development.

Peatlands form unique landscapes which can act as amenity areas for locals and visitors and support a variety of outdoor activities such as hill-walking, wildlife watching and fishing which bring economic benefits in remote areas. Peatlands are also considered amongst the most important ecosystems in the world, because of their key value for biodiversity, regulation of climate, water filtration and supply. There has been significant damage to peatlands in our Region due to peat extraction and agricultural improvement together with the associated drainage and burning related to these land uses.

Soil sealing - covering the ground with an impermeable material – is one of the main causes of soil degradation and affects fertile agricultural land, impacts biodiversity, increases flood risk and water scarcity and contributes to climate change. See Chapter 10 Infrastructure for policies on SuDS and permeable surfaces.

The National Peatland’s Strategy produced by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the NPWS aims to provide a long-term management framework to optimise the social, environmental and economic contribution of all peatlands within the State, setting out supports, structures, funding mechanisms and regulatory frameworks to promote a partnership approach to their sustainable development. Bord na Mona, as one of largest peatland landowners, is an important stakeholder in the future use of peatlands. Its Strategic Framework for the Future Use of Peatlands indicates that sites that have been cutaway will be made available for alternative uses including alternative energy (wind, biomass), agriculture & horticulture, forestry, biodiversity and ecosystem services, amenity and tourism.

Farming

Traditional farm landscapes are a highly valued asset in the Region, varying from horticultural produce in Dublin and Eastern counties, beef and dairy in the Midlands, and sheep grazing in the Region’s uplands.

Farming in the Region faces multiple challenges. Due to increasing urbanisation, agricultural land surrounding cities and towns as well as green areas within them are subjected to increasing development pressures, particularly in Dublin and Eastern counties. There is a key role for local authorities and the Regional Assembly to work together to ensure integrated land use management and planning to support the sustainable development of rural areas in our Region.

The National Peatlands Strategy also discusses future uses of peatlands. There is recognition for the wide range of stakeholders interested in peatland management including; turf cutters, industry, non-governmental organisation conservationists, state agencies and local residents.

Agriculture also faces political, environmental and climatic issues. Brexit and upcoming CAP reforms have the potential to negatively impact agriculture across the Region, particularly relating to livestock and dairy production. To limit the negative environmental impacts of farming, and considering the agricultural growth targets set out in Food Wise 2025, agriculture within the Region will have to adapt. Expansion of current practices would almost certainly lead to increased biodiversity loss, as well as more nitrate contamination of our water courses. From a climate perspective, business as usual will result in Ireland’s failure to meet our national, European and international climate targets. By addressing these challenges, there is an opportunity to support low carbon and low impact farming such as local agri-food, biomass production, permaculture, appropriate agri-forestry and incorporating circular economy thinking by using anaerobic digesters to produce renewable electricity, heat and gas from farm wastes.

The Lough Boora Discovery park in Co Offaly is a Bord na Móna cutaway bog, which has been developed as an outdoor amenity area with restored wetland and woodland habitats that provide important habitats for a wide diversity of animals birds and plants. It includes a sculpture park, angling and bird watching facilities and extensive walking routes. There is potential to develop a regional peatway connecting natural and cultural attractions and the Mesolithic (Iron age) bog trails and to develop a National Park based on the raised bog peatlands of the Midlands area, see also Section 7.7 Green Infrastructure.

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Environment and Climate

CASE STUDY:

Care Peat

Peatland ecosystems are arguably the most effective carbon capture machines on the planet when fully functional. In Ireland we burn peat to create electricity or heating and we drain it for agriculture or forestry. Care Peat examines the potential of reducing Ireland’s carbon emissions by up to 5% through re-wetting our peatland habitats, restoring biodiversity and capturing carbon.

Care Peat aims to create new economic models that are advantageous to all stakeholders looking at the potentials of carbon credits and sphagnum farming for example to try and find a green solution that will also enhance income for landowners. The project will support collaboration between local authorities, the Bord na Móna Transition Team and relevant stakeholders. It will incorporate relevant policies such as the Bord na Móna Biodiversity Plan 2016-2021 and the national Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plans52.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Landscape

In the consideration of development on peatland areas, the following Guiding Principles should apply:

RPO 7.27: Following the adoption of a national landscape character assessment, the Assembly will prepare a Regional Landscape Character Assessment to promote better landscape management and planning in the Region.

• Consideration of the potential contribution of peatlands to climate change mitigation and adaptation including renewable energy production.

RPO 7.28: Work with local authorities and relevant stakeholders, to identify areas of high value agricultural land and to ensure food security in the Region and to promote sustainable farming practices that maintain the quality of the natural environment, protect farm landscapes and support the achievement of climate targets.

• Consideration of habitats and species of environmental significance.

• Consideration of the potential contribution of peatlands to an existing or proposed greenway/blueway/peatway network.

• Consideration of the ecosystem services and tourism potential provided by peatlands.

RPO 7.29: Support collaboration between local authorities, the Bord na Móna Transition Team and relevant stakeholders and the development of partnership approaches to integrated peatland management that incorporate any relevant policies and strategies such as the Bord na Móna Biodiversity Plan 2016-2021 and the national Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plans. This shall include support for the rehabilitation and/or re-wetting of suitable peatland habitats.

• Development of peatlands shall ensure that there are no negative impacts on water quality.

52 https://insight-centre.org/Project/care-peat

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Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy