When spending time outdoors, human impacts on the environment generally fit into the following seven areas:
Wildlife Impacts
Disturbance, altered behaviour, intentional or inadvertent feeding, or reduced health and reproduction of animals.
Soil Impacts
Soil compaction, damage, and loss of living biological soil crust, soil erosion near trails, siltation and increased drainage into water courses.
Vegetation Impacts
Vegetation loss, the introduction of invasive species, and tree or plant damage.
Cultural Impacts
Congestion at sites, theft or damage to cultural and historic features and artefacts. Creation of artificial structures e.g., cairns, names carved in trees etc.
Campfire Impacts
Damage, burned rubbish and food, depleted areas of micro nutrients from dead and downed wood, increased scavenging, improper disposal of ashes, promotion of areas for increased fire usage and wildfires.
Water Impacts
Siltation, sedimentation pollution, eutrophication, algal blooms and biodiversity loss.
Access
Over 80% of the land is privately owned in Ireland. Access to natural resources for outdoor recreation is entirely at the owner’s discretion. Always seek permission from the landowner.
