This publication is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series Output. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example new administrative data sources.
Grasslands and Croplands comprised over 67% of Ireland's terrestrial and transitional ecosystems in 2018. Grasslands made up almost 62% of the total cover (4.4 million hectares) and Croplands covered almost 6% (401,700 hectares).
Of Croplands ecosystem types, the area of Annual Cropland decreased by 7% and the area covered by Mixed Farmland declined by 4% between 2000 and 2018.
Of Grasslands ecosystem types, the area of Sown Pastures and Fields (Modified Grasslands) fell by 1%, while the area of Natural and Semi-Natural Grasslands dropped by 2% between 2000 and 2018.
Between 2000 and 2018, Forests & Woodlands gained 48,300 hectares from Grasslands and Croplands, while 23,400 hectares of Grasslands and Croplands were converted into Settlements & Other Artificial Areas.
The Common Farmland Bird Index increased to 132.9 in 2022, up over 11% on 2018 when it was 119.2.
In 2022, Croplands supplied a total Crop Provision ecosystem service of 15.1 million tonnes of crops while Grasslands provided 21.7 million tonnes. Settlements & Other Artificial Areas supplied 83.4 thousand tonnes of crops.
Vegetables accounted for over 91% (76.2 thousand tonnes) of the total Crop Provision ecosystem service provided by Settlements & Other Artificial Areas in 2022, while Fruits accounted for the remaining 9% (7.2 thousand tonnes).
In 2022, Crop residues (used), fodder crops and grazed biomass accounted for almost 79% (11.9 million tonnes) of the total Crop Provision ecosystem service supplied by Croplands, while Cereals made up over 16% (2.5 million tonnes) of this supply.
The Ecosystem Extent Accounts for Ireland's Grasslands and Croplands were compiled using data from the Corine Land Cover Accounting Layers datasets developed by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Since our publication on national Ecosystem Extent Accounts 2000-2018, there has been a classification change for Croplands which changes the extent of Grasslands and Croplands reported in this publication - please see Background Notes for further information.
The Ecosystem Condition Accounts were compiled using data from BirdWatch Ireland for the Common Farmland Bird Index.
The Ecosystem Services Accounts were compiled using data from internal CSO Divisions, the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM), and Teagasc.
Ecosystem Extent Accounts have been compiled for the years 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018 while Ecosystem Condition and Services Accounts have been compiled for the 2000-2022 period. The Corine Land Cover Accounting Layers datasets used to compile the Ecosystem Extent Accounts are updated every six years. The next update for the 2024 reference year is scheduled for publication by the EEA in 2026.
This publication is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series. For further details about the methodologies applied in this publication please refer to the Background Notes.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (07 June 2024) published Ecosystem Accounts - Grasslands and Croplands 2000-2022.
Commenting on the release, Jamie Mc Hugh Dolan, Statistician in the Ecosystem Accounts Division, said:
"This release is published as part of the CSO Frontier Series, which means particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete. This publication presents ecosystem extent, condition, and services accounts for two of Ireland's ecosystems, Grasslands and Croplands, which accounted for more than two-thirds of the country's terrestrial and transitional ecosystems in 2018. These accounts explore the extent of these ecosystems and their changes in extent between 2000 and 2018, the quality and condition of these ecosystems from 2000-2022, and the ecosystem services they supplied over the 2000-2022 period.
Extent
Grasslands and Croplands comprised more than 67% of Ireland's terrestrial and transitional ecosystems in 2018, a decrease of more than 1% or 70,900 hectares on 2000 figures. Between 2000 and 2018, the area of Sown Pastures and Fields (Modified Grasslands) fell by 1% and Natural and Semi-Natural Grasslands declined by more than 2%. Across the same period, the extent of Annual Cropland reduced by 7% while Mixed Farmland fell by more than 4%.
Between 2000 and 2018, more than 23,400 hectares of Grasslands and Croplands were converted into Settlements & Other Artificial Areas, while Forests & Woodlands gained 46,200 hectares and almost 2,100 hectares from Grasslands and Croplands respectively.
Condition
The Common Farmland Bird Index increased from 119.2 to 132.9 between 2018 and 2022, up more than 11% in that four-year period. While this increase is positive, it should be read in the context of significant declines in bird numbers in Ireland and across Europe in the late 20th century before monitoring in Ireland began in 1998.
Services
In 2022, Croplands supplied a total Crop Provision ecosystem service of 15.1 million tonnes. Grasslands provided a total Crop Provision ecosystem service of 21.7 million tonnes while Settlements & Other Artificial Areas supplied 83.4 thousand tonnes of crops.
Crop residues (used), fodder crops, and grazed biomass accounted for almost 79% (11.9 million tonnes) of the total Crop Provision ecosystem service supplied by Croplands in 2022 while Cereals accounted for more than 16% (2.5 million tonnes) of this supply.
Grazed biomass was the largest component of the total Crop Provision ecosystem service supplied by Grasslands in 2022 at more than 63% (13.7 million tonnes). Fodder crops (including biomass harvest from grassland) made up the remainder of this supply.
Vegetables accounted for 91% (76.2 thousand tonnes) of the total Crop Provision ecosystem service supplied by Settlements & Other Artificial Areas in 2022 while Fruits made up the remainder of this supply. This supply relates to crops which are grown in artificial settings e.g. under glass or high accessible cover."