HEATH Habitat Network Maps for Nature Recovery in Northern Ireland

Habitat network maps for terrestrial and intertidal priority habitats in Northern Ireland, created using a methodology from Natural England. Ulster Wildlife, National Trust NI, RSPB NI, and Woodland Trust NI produced these vector datasets in 2020 with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The maps categorize land based on its potential for habitat restoration and its role in enhancing ecological connectivity.

Use Cases

• Prioritizing land for habitat restoration based on network categories indicating favorability.
• Assessing landscape connectivity for specific priority habitats based on proximity to existing patches.
• Supporting strategic conservation decisions by integrating these maps with on-site survey data.

Strengths

• Based on a published methodology (Edwards et al., 2020) with a detailed report available.
• Covers all terrestrial and intertidal priority habitats for Northern Ireland.
• Produced through a collaboration of four major conservation organizations.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The maps are explicitly not a comprehensive land cover depiction and do not replace on-site surveys.

Provenance

Source

Ulster Wildlife, National Trust NI, RSPB NI, Woodland Trust NI

Collection Method

Vector mapping based on the Natural England methodology for habitat networks.

Time Range

Project started in 2020.

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Northern Ireland