Landscapes NI is the network of all our designated and iconic landscapes in Northern Ireland and members are the organisation who seek to help manage these amazing places.

The vision of Landscapes NI is ““Cherished landscapes benefiting people and nature in Northern Ireland.”

Survey

At the end of 2025 we ran our second public survey on landscapes in Northern Ireland. We were delighted that 382 individuals took the time to complete our survey which was up by 52% from our baseline figures in 2024. We also had 121 (32%) of the respondents who were just interested individuals.

The survey has reinforced information gleaned from 2024 especially in relation to the many eco-system services that our designated and iconic landscapes generate with 99% of respondents highlighting that these landscapes are essential or important for our health and well-being.

Respondents also highlighted that the number 1 task for landscape management bodies was habitat restoration for wildlife closely followed by the importance of engagement and education of the public on the sustainable use of these places. A full report on the survey findings is available at https://www.landscapesni.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025-Landscapes-NI-Survey-Report.pdf

 

Youth Ranger/Ambassador Programme

Our youth ranger / ambassador project is going from strength to strength. We successfully applied for additional funding through the UK Connect programme in partnership with EUROPARC Atlantic Isles to give our youth forum members the opportunity to understand how landscape management takes place within national parks and national landscapes in England, Scotland and Wales. This will provide amazing opportunities for members to build connections across the UK.

Furthermore two of our members were given the opportunity to attend a “Youth Voice” conference in the North York Moors National Park in May and this also provided the members with the opportunity to share what is happening their “home” landscapes of the Ring of Gullion AONB and the Belfast Hills.

On 26^th and 27^th June we held our first residential with the youth forum group to Ballintoy and Rathlin Island. We had a fantastic day up on Rathlin and a huge thanks to the RSPB for hosting that event at the bird observatory.

Study Visit 2

On the 1^st – 4^th June a delegation of 12 members and partners of Landscapes NI travelled to County Mayo for a very packed programme of site visits, discussions and meetings with leave No Trace Ireland, Mayo County Council, Mountaineering Ireland and Wild Nephin National Park staff members. We visited Croagh Patrick to understand the extent of the path works there and the essential role of the volunteer ambassadors.

Then off to Betra beach to look at a range of dune management issues along with climate change thinking and mitigation. This was only the morning session – and in the afternoon we cycled along the Great Western Greenway to Mulranny to hear about the amazing dark skies work going on there.

Day 3 involved site visits at Wild Nephin where we saw bog restoration happening at a significant scale along with some major work to eradicate invasive Rhododendron. The exceptionally damp weather did nothing to curb the enthusiasm of the team.

https://www.landscapesni.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mayo-study-visit-Report-2025.pdf

 

 Mike McClure

This work has been made possible through the kind support and funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Action Renewables.