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.
All the methodologies applied in this publication followed the latest recommendations of Eurostat under the upcoming legal module on ecosystem accounting proposed as an amendment to EU Regulation 691/2011. Subsequent iterations of these accounts will be revised in line with future methodological developments and recommendations from Eurostat and national experts.
Ecosystem Extent Accounts record the spatial extent of ecosystem types and track their changes over time. It is one of the five accounts of Ecosystem Accounting as described in the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework. For further information, see our Information Note on Ecosystem Accounting.
In the SEEA-EA, Extent Accounts are presented as tables reporting the extent of ecosystem types covering an Ecosystem Accounting Area (here Ireland or county, see Information Note on Ecosystem Accounting) over an accounting period (here 2000-2018). See Table 5.1 below.
| Table 5.1: Structure of the Extent Accounts table | |||||
| hectares | Opening extent | Additions | Reductions | Net change | Closing extent |
| Ecosystem type 1 | 27 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 17 |
| Ecosystem type 2 | 68 | 12 | 18 | -6 | 62 |
| Ecosystem type 3 | 34 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 50 |
| Total extent over the accounting period | 129 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 129 |
The columns of opening and closing extents give the extent of each ecosystem type at the starting year and the ending year of the accounting period. If changes have occurred between these years, they will be reported as additions for addition of extent or reductions for reduction of extent. Net change is also reported as the subtraction of reductions from additions. The closing extent can be retrieved by summing the opening extent and the net change.
The last row corresponds to the total area of the Ecosystem Accounting Area, which is the total administrative area covered by the Extent Accounts. Outside of exceptional circumstances, this total area should not change over the accounting period.
Another table usually accompanies the Extent Accounts table presented in Table 5.1. It records the conversion between ecosystem types. In other words, if there has been a change in the extent of ecosystem types, what ecosystem types did they change into? These conversions from one ecosystem type to another are reported as shown in Table 5.2 below.
| Table 5.2: Structure of the conversion matrix showing the change in ecosystem type extent | ||||
| hectares | Ecosystem type 1 | Ecosystem type 2 | Ecosystem type 3 | Opening extent |
| Ecosystem type 1 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 27 |
| Ecosystem type 2 | 0 | 50 | 18 | 68 |
| Ecosystem type 3 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 34 |
| Closing extent | 17 | 62 | 50 | 129 |
Rows of Table 5.2 record the reductions, i.e., what was lost over the accounting period. The first row will give the amount of Ecosystem type 1 which stayed Ecosystem type 1 (10 hectares), but also the extent of Ecosystem type 1 which was converted into Ecosystem types 2 (12 hectares) and 3 (5 hectares). The sum of the row equals the opening extent of Ecosystem type 1 presented in Table 5.1.
Columns of Table 5.2 report the additions, i.e., how much extent was gained over the accounting period. As an example, the first column states that 10 hectares of Ecosystem type 1 did not change over the accounting period. However, Ecosystem type 1 increased by 7 hectares due to the conversion of Ecosystem type 3 into Ecosystem type 1. The sum of the first column gives the closing extent presented in Table 5.1.
As recommended by Eurostat, the Corine Land Cover (CLC) Accounting Layers developed by the European Environment Agency (EEA) have been used to compile the Ecosystem Extent Accounts for Ireland. The accounting period chosen for the accounts was 2000 to 2018. The CLC Accounting layers for the years 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018 were selected to build the accounts. These layers have a raster format of 100 meters by 100 meters. The Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU) is 25 hectares, and the Minimum Mapping Width is 100 meters. The accounts have been created using the Irish Transverse Mercator projection (EPSG 2157). While the resolution of Corine Land Cover Accounting layers may not be as high as other data sources, these data were used to allow comparability over time at a national level and enable the production of these accounts using a time series. Future iterations of the Ecosystem Extent Accounts will look into the availability and possibility of using higher resolution data sources at national level offering similar characteristics (e.g., time series and comparability over time).
Although CLC Accounting Layers are based on the CLC Status Layers produced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the EEA, they have been further processed by the EEA to ensure comparability over time. The CLC Accounting Layers also show specific changes in land cover smaller than 25 hectares, but larger than 5 hectares. The CLC Status layers don't show these changes, they are kept in a separate dataset on land cover change. This may result in slight discrepancies between CLC Accounting Layers produced by EEA and CLC Status layers developed by the EPA.
The Corine Land Cover product is updated every six years. The Corine Land Cover update for the 2024 reference year is scheduled for publication in Q1 2026.
For further information on the CLC Accounting layers, refer to the EEA website.
At national level, the outer boundary of the 2023 Tailte Éireann administrative boundaries for counties was used to delineate the terrestrial ecosystems of Ireland (classes one to ten in Table 5.3). Although this boundary included the Shannon Estuary, it excluded most of the transitional ecosystems (e.g., estuaries, bays, intertidal flats; class 11 of Table 5.3) as it stopped at the high water mark. The delineation of the transitional ecosystems were taken from CLC Accounting layers directly.
At county level, the 2023 Tailte Éireann administrative boundaries for counties were used to delineate the total extent of terrestrial and transitional ecosystem types per county. As the county boundaries stopped at the high water mark, the county extent accounts include two specificities:
An important caveat of the county extent accounts is that due to the raster format (i.e., data are stored in a grid of regular sized pixels) of the CLC Accounting layers, counties do not exactly match Tailte Éireann administrative boundaries as their borders slightly overlap. Hence ecosystem types present in the overlap of two counties' borders are double counted. As a consequence, the sum of ecosystem types at county level do not match exactly the total national extent. Further iterations of this publication will work on improving this methodology.
The Continental Shelf boundary from the Marine Atlas developed by the Marine Institute combined with the Exclusive Economic Zone boundary made available by Marine Regions was used to delineate the maritime territory of Ireland.
As part of the new upcoming legal module proposed as an amendment to EU Regulation 691/2011, Eurostat developed a European ecosystem typology. Level 1 of this EU ecosystem typology was used in this publication and is displayed in Table 5.3 below. Some minor changes have been applied to this classification to reflect the latest recommendations of Eurostat.
All the percentages of the terrestrial and transition ecosystems presented in this publication have been calculated based on the total extent of terrestrial and transitional ecosystems (classes 1 to 11 in Table 5.3).
| Table 5.3 - EU Level 1 ecosystem typology | ||
| Category | Ecosystem type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Settlements and other artificial areas | This class represents human habitats, i.e. ecosystems that are strongly modified by people and that are characterised by buildings and other man-made structures. It includes dispersed and dense residential, industrial, commercial, and transport areas, urban green areas, mineral and gravel extraction sites, dumping and construction sites. The class excludes peat extraction sites (classified under ‘Inland wetlands’). The class has also been labelled ‘urban ecosystems’.1 |
| 2 | Croplands | Croplands are food production areas including both intensively managed cropland, extensively managed cropland, and multifunctional areas. They include areas with perennial and annual crops, and agro-ecosystems with significant coverage of natural vegetation (agricultural mosaics). Cropland includes also agroforestry areas such as cork and holm oak forests with canopy cover down to 10%.1 |
| 3 | Grasslands | Grassland covers areas dominated by herbaceous vegetation (including in particular grasses and forbs, but also mosses and lichens) of two kinds – modified grasslands (sown and used for grazing or hay and silage production) and (semi-)natural (extensively managed) grasslands.1 |
| 4 | Forests and woodlands | Forests and woodlands include tree-dominated ecosystems with a canopy cover over 30% (in Mediterranean and temperate ecosystems) or 10% (in boreal ecosystems) or ecosystems where present trees are able to reach these thresholds in situ. For boreal ecosystems, a lower threshold is used due to extreme climatic conditions, which naturally limit the growth of trees and relative canopy cover.1 |
| 5 | Heathlands and shrubs | Heathlands and shrubs are areas with vegetation dominated by shrubs or dwarf shrubs, which may include dispersed trees with a canopy cover below 30%. They include natural ecosystems of predominantly harsh conditions as well as secondary ecosystems created by extensive human use. The class includes moors, heathlands and sclerophyllous vegetation.1 |
| 6 | Sparsely vegetated ecosystems | Sparsely vegetated ecosystems have a low density of vegetation, with typically at least 70% of bare soil. They include degraded sparsely or degraded non-vegetated areas as well as ecosystems under extreme natural conditions which may be traditionally grazed. They include bare rocks, glaciers and sand plains. In spite of low vegetation density, the ecosystems may contain high biodiversity of species adapted to an extreme environment.1 |
| 7 | Inland wetlands | Inland wetlands are areas that are year-round or seasonally strongly affected by water, in the form of temporary flooding or groundwater levels close to surface. This class includes natural, semi-natural or modified mires, bogs and fens, but excludes seasonally flooded grasslands and heathlands, for example. It also includes peat extraction sites.1 |
| 8 | Rivers and canals | Permanent freshwater inland surface waters that include water courses.1 |
| 9 | Lakes and reservoirs | Permanent freshwater inland surface waters that include water bodies.1 |
| 10 | Coastal beaches, dunes and associated habitats | The class coastal areas refers to land-based ecosystems close to the sea, with marine influences, such as salt spray and saline groundwater, and that may be flooded during high tide or extreme events. The class includes beaches, dunes (which may include coastal wetlands below the MMU in between rows of dunes) and coastal saltmarshes and salines.1 |
| 11 | Marine inlets, transitional waters and wetlands | Marine inlets and transitional waters are ecosystems on the land-water interface under the influence of tides and with salinity higher than 0.5 ‰. They include coastal wetlands, lagoons, estuaries and other transitional waters, fjords and sea lochs as well as embayments.2 |
| 12 | Marine ecosystems | Marine ecosystems include all marine areas below the mean sea level. This ranges from near-shore ecosystems to deep water marine ecosystems. Aligned with accounting principles, the ecosystem includes the whole water column including the seabed and the pelagic zone.2 |
| 13 | Balancing item | This class corresponds to burnt areas. |
|
1Maes, A.L. et al., Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services. An analytical framework for ecosystem assessments under action 5 of the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020. (Publications office of the European Union - Luxembourg, 2013). 2Keith, D.A. et al. (eds), IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology 2.0. (IUCN, 2020). |
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As recommended by Eurostat and the EEA, the following crosswalk was used between the EU Level 1 ecosystem typology and CLC Accounting Layers third level classes. Where a CLC Accounting Layers Level 3 class was present in more than one Level 1 class of the EU ecosystem typology, the extent was attributed following the methodological recommendations given by Eurostat and the EEA.
| Table 5.4 - Crosswalk between the EU Level 1 ecosystem typology and CLC Accounting Layers | ||
| EU Level 1 ecosystem type category | EU Level 1 ecosystem type classes | CLC Accounting Layer Level 3 classes1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Settlements and other artificial areas | 111 Continuous urban fabric 112 Discontinuous urban fabric 121 Industrial or commercial units 122 Road and rail networks and associated land 123 Port areas 124 Airports 131 Mineral extraction sites 132 Dump sites 133 Construction sites 141 Green urban areas 142 Sport and leisure facilities |
| 2 | Croplands | 211 Non-irrigated arable lands 222 Fruit trees and berry plantations 242 Complex cultivation patterns 243 Agriculture mosaics with significant natural vegetation |
| 3 | Grasslands | 231 Pastures 321 Natural grasslands |
| 4 | Forests and woodlands | 311 Broad-leaved forests 312 Coniferous forests 313 Mixed forests 324 Transitional woodland-shrub |
| 5 | Heathlands and shrubs | 322 Moors and heathlands |
| 6 | Sparsely vegetated ecosystems | 331 Beaches, dunes and sand plains 332 Bare rocks 333 Sparsely vegetated areas |
| 7 | Inland wetlands | 411 Inland marshes 412 Peat bogs |
| 8 | Rivers and canals | 511 Water courses |
| 9 | Lakes and reservoirs | 512 Water bodies |
| 10 | Coastal beaches, dunes and associated habitats | 331 Beaches, dunes and sand plains 332 Bare rocks 333 Sparsely vegetated areas |
| 11 | Marine inlets, transitional waters and wetlands | 421 Salt marshes 423 Intertidal flats 521 Coastal lagoons 522 Estuaries |
| 12 | Marine ecosystems | .. |
| 13 | Balancing item | 334 Burnt areas |
| .. not applicable 1See nomenclature guidelines |
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