Mayo County Council have published a booklet entitled “Wetlands of Mayo” an introduction to the rich wetland wealth in the county. The booklet was prepared by wetland ecologist Peter Foss as part of the County Mayo Wetland Survey project which commenced in 2020.
This booklet aims to raise awareness of Mayo’s wetland heritage and improve understanding of the role of wetlands in all our lives as a natural asset benefitting everyone, in accordance with the objectives of the County Mayo Biodiversity Plan 2010-2015 & County Development Plan 2014-2020.
Due to the varying topography, geology, hydrology, wet Atlantic climate, and soils, County Mayo has a wealth of diverse wildlife habitats, supporting a myriad of plant and animal species, with wetland habitats ranging from raised and blanket bog, fen, marsh, river and associated floodplain, lake, spring, turlough, wet grassland, wet woodland and various coastal wetlands.
Mayo is the third largest County with an area of 558,00ha and 1,168km of coastline. In Mayo areas designated for conservation under Irish law, most of which are wetlands, cover 27% or 151,000ha of the land surface. In all 1,100 individual wetlands have been identified, with fens and bogs alone covering an estimated 212,000ha of County Mayo.
This booklet has been produced by the Heritage Office of Mayo County Council, with financial assistance from The Heritage Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
More Info and download here: https://www.mayo.ie/heritage/wetlandsofmayo
#MapofIrishWetlands
