Small watercourses are essential contributors to catchment water quality, but they continue to suffer degradation across Europe. A results-based agri-environment scheme, aimed at improving watercourse quality in Ireland, developed a rapid drainage assessment to identify point source risks. The assessment uses a scoring system based on visual indicators of nutrient and sediment risk, linking the outcomes to farmer payments. To understand how this novel drainage risk assessment relates to instream watercourse quality, we used three macroinvertebrate-based biotic indices (Q-value, Small Stream Impact Score and Proportion of Sediment Sensitive Invertebrates). Macroinvertebrate kick-sampling and physiochemical analysis were completed in May and July 2021 for 12 ‘At Risk’ and 12 ‘Not at Risk’ small watercourses as identified by the results-based scheme. Results show that the scheme's drainage risk assessment can identify point source risks but we found it does not directly reflect local instream quality as assessed by the biotic indices. Unexpectedly, the biotic indices showed watercourse degradation in 58% of the upstream (control) sampling points, indicating impacts not captured by the drainage risk assessment. Small watercourses displayed high heterogeneity, with significant species turnover between the sampling months. The Small Stream Impact Score was less influenced by temporal change than the Q-value index. There was a significant relationship between instream watercourse quality and sedimentation, as quantified by the Proportion of Sediment Sensitive Invertebrates. Including a measurement of instream sedimentation in the drainage assessments would improve the identification of risks and management. These results show that by linking farmer payments to the drainage risk assessments results-based payment schemes could positively contribute to improving catchment scale watercourse quality, but further work is required to capture wider sources of freshwater impacts.

ABSTRACT: High Nature Value (HNV) forests support biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. In recognition of this role, a framework for defining and identifying HNV forest in Ireland has recently been developed and applied to Irish National Forest Inventory (NFI) forest plots. This study aimed to identify different types of HNV forest, using available variables collated by the NFI for the same plots identified as HNV forest. A multiple factor analysis and cluster analyses was performed. A spatial analysis exercise was conducted to quantify the number of HNV forest plots that overlap with designated/protected areas in Ireland. Three primary types and four subtypes of HNV forest were identified. Tree species richness, fern species richness and planting year, woodland subtype, woodland habitat type and nativeness of tree species were the most important variables explaining the difference among the three main forest types identified. Areas with distinct ecological characteristics can fall within the same HNV score range and only a small variation in naturalness is seen among HNV forest types. Results show that less than 50% of NFI HNV forest plots overlapped with designated areas/protected habitats. Results of this work can be an important step for the design of targeted conservation policies.

High Nature Value (HNV) farmland and forest systems play a vital role in supporting biodiversity and delivery of ecosystem services. Estimates of HNV forest area and distribution in the European Union (EU) are rarely conducted, despite having been a requirement of Rural Development Programmes. This work represents the first attempt to identify and estimate the area of HNV forest in the Republic of Ireland in a repeatable and transparent way. Relevant geo-datasets available for Ireland were collated and analysed. We investigated whether the datasets contained information on the indicators used in a recently-developed Nature Value (NV) index, and explored the potential of proxy indicators to determine the likelihood of a mapped area of forest being HNV. Based on these analyses, a likelihood map of the distribution of forest in different NV categories was produced and an accuracy assessment conducted. Results from this study suggest that HNV forest accounts for approximately 1 % of the Irish land area, or 8 % of the total forest area. Accuracy assessments indicated substantial agreement between the likelihood map classifications and the calculated NV status of National Forest Inventory plots. The methodology presented here could also be applied to existing similar datasets to estimate the extent and distribution of HNV forest in other regions. The mapped output provides a likelihood of a forest area being HNV and can provide evidence to inform the development of forest conservation policies.

Low-intensity agricultural activities have found to greatly promote biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. High nature value (HNV) agricultural landscapes are generally characterised by low-intensity agricultural systems and high cover of semi-natural habitats, providing valuable areas for biodiversity conservation. Considering the importance of HNV landscapes in terms of biodiversity conservation, it is important to develop adequate tools for assessing and mapping biodiversity at landscape level. In this study, we developed a mixed methodological framework to assess and map biodiversity in the Burren HNV agricultural landscape using habitat quality as a proxy. This methodology involved the use of data collected in the field using Rapid Assessment Cards and data obtained from an expert knowledge-based model. Overall, the main habitat categories in the region in terms of their cover and their influence on habitat quality were improved grassland and calcareous grassland and limestone heath mosaic group. Improved grassland had the highest cover in the study area but low habitat quality score (score = 2.4), representing areas of concern for biodiversity. Calcareous grassland and limestone heath mosaic group had the second highest cover and the highest habitat quality (score = 8.0), representing valuable biodiversity hotspots. Adequate management strategies should therefore mainly target these two habitat categories to efficiently conserve and promote biodiversity in the Burren case study region. This study demonstrates that the methodological framework applied may represent an effective tool to assess and map biodiversity at landscape level, enabling the mapping of the distribution and extent of biodiversity hotspots and areas of conservation concern more widely. It may also provide key spatially-explicit information for optimal targeting of land-use management for biodiversity.

Results-based agri-environment schemes are emerging as a valuable tool to incentivise optimal management of farmed habitats for biodiversity targets. Results-based payment schemes in Ireland use multicriteria assessments to score habitat integrity for specific targets, linking outcomes to farmer payments. Habitat integrity for a specific target is expected to have indirect co-benefits for wider farmland biodiversity. However, we lack an understanding of how results-based payment scheme assessments relate to other bioindicators of habitat integrity.Our research focuses on a results-based payment scheme which incentivises better terrestrial habitat integrity with the aim of improving watercourse quality. We explore the relationship between non-target carabid beetles, vascular plants and the results-based payment scheme’s multicriteria habitat assessment. It was anticipated that carabid beetle communities would reflect the results-based payment scheme's definition of habitat integrity across the range of scores. Pitfall trapping for carabid beetles and vegetation surveys were carried out in 19 peatland and 18 wet grassland plots, categorised into high, medium, and low habitat integrity using the scores assigned by the results-based payment scheme.We found that the results-based payment scheme’s multicriteria assessment broadly reflects habitat integrity for non-target carabid beetles in peatlands and grasslands. Eurytopic and disturbance tolerant species showed a greater association with low and medium scoring plots. Higher scoring plots supported greater diversity, with intact peatland being particularly important for hygrophilous specialists.Synthesis and application: Results-based payment scheme's multicriteria assessments have co-benefits at plot-level for non-target carabid beetles and incentivising optimal management can have positive conservation outcomes for this group. Inclusion of hydrological result indicators where relevant in results-based payment scheme assessments is recommended to reward wider biodiversity. Carabids are suitable as monitoring taxa where hydrological functioning is a results-based payment scheme priority.

High Nature Value (HNV) forests contribute to maintaining European biodiversity and public good supply. This study aimed to a) develop an objective and quantitative Nature Value (NV) index for the identification of HNV forests in the Republic of Ireland; and b) apply and validate the index using available data from the Irish National Forest Inventory (NFI).Following recent European definitions of HNV forest, a six-step framework was adapted from literature and used for assessing forest naturalness. The reference forest (in an Irish context) and its naturalness traits were first described. Six indicators were selected to construct a NV index and three categories (low, medium and high NV) were defined based on the range of NV scores. Using data from the Irish NFI, the approach was implemented by calculating the indicators' values and the NV score for 1,676 forest plots. The selected indicators were tested for redundancy and the NV index was validated with available floristic variables and with forest sub-type classes. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on the weighting values of the indicators.Approximately 11% of the NFI plots were categorised as HNV. There was no redundancy between the selected indicators. The NV index was significantly positively correlated with data from the floristic variables collated by the NFI. The averages of the floristic variables per NV category were significantly different. NFI plots classified as HNV had a higher percentage of natural/semi-natural forest types than medium NV and low NV plots. The sensitivity analyses showed little effect of changes to the indicators' weighting values on a) the correlation co-efficients between the floristic variables' data and the new NV scores obtained and b) on the proportion of natural/semi-natural forests in HNV plots.This work provides an approach for the development of a NV index to identify HNV forests in a European country following the naturalness concept exclusively. The selected indicators and their weighting should be tailored to each country's particular conditions, especially due to potential differences in the reference level of naturalness of forests and differences within NFIs.

This paper aims to present the results of the Erasmus + RUR’UP project that developed educational tools for scientists, public managers, practitioners, and agricultural advisors living and working in peripheral rural areas. Based on the assessment of the educational needs and gaps for the sustainable development of the EU peripheral rural areas of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Finland, Ireland and France via a participatory innovation process, we have developed: an asynchronous e-learning course and supporting educational materials. The objective was to provide educational tools that will help the professional competencies of the Higher Education (HE) institutions working with peripheral rural regions by answering to the labour market and societal needs in these regions, thereby strengthening the collaboration between higher education and regional and cross-regional employers. The project resulted in 50 students who attended the e-learning course and the development of Open-Access educational materials with pedagogically sound activities associated with them, which can be used by any actor interested in the sustainable development of peripheral rural areas, especially those with high natural values in the form of a Virtual Bank of Case studies that gathers 14 examples of case studies.

The effective conservation of high nature value farmland (HNV) will be crucial for the conservation of European and Irish biodiversity, and to meet the growing demand for a wide range of private and public goods and services from farmland. Here, we describe the evolution of policy and management of HNV farmland in the Republic of Ireland over the last 25 years and describe the emerging locally adapted, results-based payment approach that is valorizing a broad range of ecosystem services from these areas, which helps to underpin the future social, ecological, and financial viability of HNV farmland. HNV farmland in the Republic of Ireland covers approximately 33% of the agricultural land, and 50% of these areas coincide with Natura 2000 land. A broad diversity of landscape types dominated by seminatural vegetation from upland areas to lowland areas is a key challenge when designing policy support for HNV farmland areas. To date, action-based agri-environment schemes have struggled to adapt to these conditions, and to provide sufficient incentive and flexibility to deliver the desired environmental outcomes. In response, several projects and programs have implemented results-based payments, which we illustrate using three case studies from the Burren Programme, the Results Based Agri-environment Pilot Scheme (RBAPS), and European Innovation Partnership Operational Groups: The Hen Harrier and Pearl Mussel Projects. We highlight choices in the design and implementation of these case studies that aimed to better achieve the environmental objectives. We conclude with general lessons from the Irish experience with results-based approaches, and how they may be scaled up for wider implementation.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. What EU policy framework do we need to sustain High Nature Value (HNV) farming and biodiversity? Fabrice Gouriveau, Guy Beaufoy, James M. Moran, Xavier Poux, Irina Herzon, Maria Isabella Ferraz de Oliviera, Dimitra Gaki, M Gaspart, E. Genevet, Dimitris Goussios, et al.

Farmlands are currently among the dominant uses of the land. When managed under low-input farming systems, farmlands are associated with diverse cultural and natural heritages around the world. Known in Europe as high nature value (HNV) farmlands, these agricultural landscapes and their associated farming systems evolved as tightly coupled socioecological systems, and are essential to biodiversity conservation and the delivery of ecosystem services to society. However, HNV farmlands are vulnerable to socioeconomic changes that lead to either agricultural intensification or land abandonment. We present a range of plausible future scenarios for HNV farmlands, and discuss the related management options and expected socioecological outcomes for each scenario. We then provide recommendations for policy, practice, and research on how to best ensure the socioecological viability of HNV farming systems in the future.

Fragmentation of ecosystems is continuing worldwide, posing increasing pressures to and loss of biodiversity. Disused transport corridors such as old railways and tramways often return to semi-naturalness, and are increasingly upcycled into multi-use, non-motorised public Greenway infrastructure. This study examines bat activity within a proposed rural Greenway corridor in Ireland. Development scenarios are simulated to predict impacts to woodland ecosystem functional connectivity using Probability of Connectivity (PC) index. Generalised Linear Modelling predicts associations of species activity to Greenway corridor habitat and habitat structure. Spatially explicit connectivity models indicate significant impacts to ecosystem connectivity can arise from Greenway development scenarios, such as decreasing connectivity in half, or increasing connectivity four-fold. Species activity modelling identified habitat conditions along the Greenway route that suggest on-going corridor effects and associations to particular habitats and structure, emphasising the importance to consider a sensitive approach to developing disused infrastructure into Greenways. Conservation implications: Potential significant increases in woodland ecosystem reach-ability for bats are achievable by conserving canopy cover over Greenway corridors. Species-specific habitat modelling results presented are directly applicable to guide woodland enhancement for the sensitive conservation of Greenway woodland habitat, maximising their multi-functional use and connectivity potential. Opportunities therefore exist for European Greenways to conserve and enhance ecosystem connectivity, providing landscape-scale solutions to the problem of increasing ecosystem fragmentation. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Kate O'Brien initially made her literary reputation as a dramatist rather than a novelist. Her debut play Distinguished Villa (1926) won acclaim in London when first produced onstage, and critics compared her with Seán O'Casey. However, O'Brien's dramatic work manifests some key differences to O'Casey, not least O'Brien's recurring concern with the behavioural norms and sexual predilections of the English middle-classes, and her early awareness of the requirements of the British censor. Although O'Brien is remembered as a figure who transgressed the censorship rules of the Irish government, it was the British system of censorship she first had to navigate.

This article summarises the views of a panel of experts from the areas of agricultural economics, ecology, agri-environmental policy and agricultural extension who were bought together for a novel workshop on agri-environment schemes conducted at the Agricultural Economics Society's 91(st) Annual Conference. The panel discussed the past, present and future of European Union agri-environment schemes with emphasis on the movement from top-down action-based schemes to participatory-partnership results-based schemes. Pierre Dupraz, an expert in economic evaluations of agri-environment schemes, pointed out past issues of agri-environment schemes including the conflicting objectives and the growing complexity. James Moran, an ecologist who has been involved in the design of results-based schemes, identified the importance of designing schemes that are adaptable and incentivise farmers to improve. Ronan O'Flaherty, a senior policymaker involved in new scheme design in Ireland, shone a light on the policy behind agri-environment schemes and the importance of stakeholder buy-in. Pat Murphy, a knowledge transfer specialist involved in the implementation of agri-environment schemes, discussed the importance that knowledge transfer must play in the future of agri-environment schemes. Together the speakers identified the challenges faced in designing and implementing agri-environment schemes that improve environmental outcomes whether they be action or results-based.

This paper examines the memorialisation of the Sherwood Foresters who fought during the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin. These men, from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in the English midlands, suffered the greatest casualties of the British regiments involved in the insurrection, and participated in the firing squads that executed the rebel leaders. Yet the public and artistic memorialising of these English soldiers is not widely known, and this interdisciplinary paper seeks to tell the unfamiliar story of what happened to the Sherwood Foresters after the fighting of Easter Week ceased. We use archival material in order to explore how, at the time of the Rising, these men believed that they would be remembered. We examine the way that the Sherwood Foresters of Easter Week subsequently appeared in literature and drama. And we analyse the way that those soldiers have been commemorated in funerary memorials.