Northern Ireland's Priority Species & Species of Conservation Concern

Criteria used to select Priority Species.

Scientific criteria have been devised in order to identify which species in Northern Ireland qualify as a priority.

Species which meet any one of the following 7 criteria are considered to be NI Priority Species.

  1. Listed as a UK Priority Species.
  2. Rapid decline (2% per year).
  3. Decline (1% year) with Northern Ireland being a stronghold (S) consisting of either
    • >50% Irish population or
    • >20% UK population/range

    or with the Irish or UK population restricted (R) to Northern Ireland i.e. Decline + S or R
     
  4. Rare - confined to a small population of one or two sites in Northern Ireland with Northern Ireland being a stronghold (S) consisting of either
    • >50% Irish population or
    • >20% UK population/range

    or with the Irish or UK population restricted (R) to Northern Ireland i.e. Rare + S or R.
     
  5. At least 20% of international population of species or well-recognised subspecies occurring in Northern Ireland.
  6. Irish Red Data Book (RDB) species classed as critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN) or vulnerable (VU).
  7. Red-listed species in either Ireland or the UK Birds of Conservation Concern (BOCC) lists.

A wide range of species are known to meet the Priority Species criteria. However, some species are poorly recorded and there is not sufficient information to assess their status and any required conservation action. This is especially true for invertebrate groups such as spiders and flies, and lower plants such as lichens. For these little known species, increased recording effort is required.

Criteria used to select Northern Ireland Species of Conservation Concern

Species fulfilling any of the following criteria:

  1. 1. Northern Ireland Priority Species.
  2. 2. Declining (1% per year)
  3. 3. Scarce and with Northern Ireland being a stronghold (S) consisting of either:
    • >50% of the Irish population or
    • >20% of the UK population/range occurring in Northern Ireland
  4. 4. Amber-listed species in either the Ireland or UK Birds of Conservation Concern (BOCC) lists.
  5. 5. Species listed as Rare in an Irish Red Data Book published with the last 15 years.

Note:
Some of the criteria listed in Biodiversity in Northern Ireland: Recommendations to Government for a Biodiversity Strategy for species of conservation concern have not been applied fully because of difficulty in applying the criteria or their application would result in unduly large list. These may be reviewed at a later stage and include:

  • Species which are rare or scarce without conforming to any of the above criteria
  • Genetically distinct in Ireland (e.g. Irish sub-species)
  • Species which are functionally critical to ecosystems