A new study by researchers in Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and the Marine Institute, in collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), highlights the need for a varied approach to ecological restoration in the Nephin Forest region of Wild Nephin National Park in north Mayo.

Following a large survey of the area, which recorded the plant communities at 230 sites within Nephin Forest, the study first identified those communities that remain in a relatively non-degraded state, persisting since the area was afforested. These communities act as ‘references’, ie areas of habitat which serve as examples of what a healthy ecosystem in Nephin Forest can look like.

A large portion of Nephin Forest lies within the Burrishoole catchment, at the base of which lies the Marine Institute’s Newport Research Facility. Here, the staff of the Institute run a long-term ecological monitoring programme focusing on the fish populations of Atlantic salmon, Brown trout and European Eel.