Traditional Orchard Habitat Network for Nature Recovery in Northern Ireland

A geospatial vector dataset mapping land suitability for traditional orchard habitat restoration and connectivity in Northern Ireland. The habitat network maps were produced in 2020 by a consortium including Ulster Wildlife and the National Trust NI, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The data is intended as a decision-support tool for ecological planning.

Use Cases

• Prioritizing land for habitat restoration based on mapped network categories indicating favorability.
• Enhancing ecological connectivity by identifying effective areas for action based on proximity to existing habitat patches.
• Supporting strategic conservation planning as a decision-support tool alongside on-site surveys.

Strengths

• Based on a published methodology (Edwards et al., 2020) with a detailed report.
• Produced by a consortium of established conservation organizations.
• Data is provided in the ESRI SHAPE format, a standard for geospatial analysis.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The maps do not represent comprehensive land cover or provide specific land management options.

Provenance

Source

Consortium including Ulster Wildlife, National Trust NI, RSPB NI, and Woodland Trust NI.

Collection Method

Maps produced based on the Natural England methodology for habitat networks.

Time Range

Project started in 2020.

Freshness

Last updated date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Northern Ireland.