1985 to 2014 survey data for priority fen, swamp, and flush habitats in Northern Ireland, compiled by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Sheffield University. The dataset includes evidence from targeted surveys in Counties Down, Armagh, and Tyrone, focusing on lowland fens of high conservation value. It represents a partial inventory, as upland flushes, fens, and swamps are largely unrecorded and mapping is incomplete for several counties.
Use Cases
- Map the distribution of Annex 1 Habitats Directive fen types based on survey evidence.
- Identify priority conservation areas for lowland fens and reedbeds in specific counties.
- Visualize the extent of surveyed inter-drumlin fen habitats for regional planning.
- Analyze gaps in habitat coverage for future survey targeting in Counties Fermanagh, Derry/Londonderry, and Antrim.
Strengths
- Data sources include long-term agency surveys from 1985 to 2014.
- Focuses on high conservation value habitats identified under the EU Habitats Directive.
- Available in multiple geospatial formats (JSON, KML, CSV, SHP, GEOJSON, HTML).
Limitations
- The dataset is explicitly described as partial and does not represent the complete resource in Northern Ireland.
- Upland Flushes, Fens and Swamps are largely unrecorded.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Provenance
- Source
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) Habitat Survey Team and Sheffield University.
- Collection Method
- Field surveys and research contracts for habitat identification.
- Time Range
- 1985 to 2014
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-03-18 11:23:14.944224; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Northern Ireland, with specific focus on Counties Down, Armagh, and Tyrone.