STRIVE Report Series No.80 Freshwater Biodiversity in the Irish Agricultural Landscape: The Significance of Ponds STRIVE Environmental Protection Agency Programme 2007-2013 Comhshaol, Pobal agus Rialtas Áitiúil Environment, Community and Local Government EPA Inside Pages NEW_Blue Text 08/09/2011 11:09 Page 1 Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is REGULATING IRELAND’S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS a statutory body responsible for protecting n Quantifying Ireland’s emissions of greenhouse gases the environment in Ireland. We regulate and in the context of our Kyoto commitments. police activities that might otherwise cause n Implementing the Emissions Trading Directive, pollution. We ensure there is solid involving over 100 companies who are major information on environmental trends so that generators of carbon dioxide in Ireland. necessary actions are taken. Our priorities are protecting the Irish environment and ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ensuring that development is sustainable. n Co-ordinating research on environmental issues (including air and water quality, climate change, The EPA is an independent public body biodiversity, environmental technologies). established in July 1993 under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992. STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Its sponsor in Government is the Department n Assessing the impact of plans and programmes on of the Environment, Community and Local the Irish environment (such as waste management Government. and development plans). 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MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE OF THE EPA n Working with local authorities and the Gardaí to The organisation is managed by a full time Board, stamp out illegal waste activity by co-ordinating a consisting of a Director General and four Directors. national enforcement network, targeting offenders, conducting investigations and overseeing remediation. The work of the EPA is carried out across four offices: n n Prosecuting those who flout environmental law and Office of Climate, Licensing and Resource Use damage the environment as a result of their actions. n Office of Environmental Enforcement n Office of Environmental Assessment MONITORING, ANALYSING AND REPORTING ON THE n Office of Communications and Corporate Services ENVIRONMENT n Monitoring air quality and the quality of rivers, The EPA is assisted by an Advisory Committee of twelve lakes, tidal waters and ground waters; measuring members who meet several times a year to discuss water levels and river flows. issues of concern and offer advice to the Board. n Independent reporting to inform decision making by national and local government. EPA STRIVE Programme 2007–2013 Freshwater Biodiversity in the Irish Agricultural Landscape: The Significance of Ponds Biodiversity of Aquatic Coleoptera in the Irish Farmed Landscape. The Significance of Ponds (2007-FS-B-14-M5) STRIVE Report Prepared for the Environmental Protection Agency by School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin Author: Margherita Gioria ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY An Ghníomhaireacht um Chaomhnú Comhshaoil PO Box 3000, Johnstown Castle, Co.Wexford, Ireland Telephone: +353 53 916 0600 Fax: +353 53 916 0699 Email: [email protected] Website: www.epa.ie © Environmental Protection Agency 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is published as part of the Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment (STRIVE) Programme 2007–2013. The programme is financed by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007–2013. It is administered on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government by the Environmental Protection Agency which has the statutory function of co-ordinating and promoting environmental research. The author wishes to thank Giovanni Bacaro (University of Siena) and André Schaffers (University of Wageningen) for encouraging the use of novel statistical approaches to analyse biodiversity data. Sincere thanks go to Daire Ó hUallacháin and Donncha Madden (Teagasc) for providing information on the location of some ponds, and to Enda and Kay Bannon. Many thanks also go to Alice Wemaere and Brian Donlon (Environmental Protection Agency), and Peter Grant, Helix Innovation Partnerships Ltd, for their assistance with the management aspects of this project. Special thanks go to Burkart Dieterich for his constructive criticism on my work. Finally, the author wishes to thank John Feehan (University College Dublin) for encouraging the study of freshwater biodiversity in Ireland. DISCLAIMER Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material contained in this publication, complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Neither the Environmental Protection Agency nor the author(s) accept any responsibility whatsoever for loss or damage occasioned or claimed to have been occasioned, in part or in full, as a consequence of any person acting, or refraining from acting, as a result of a matter contained in this publication. All or part of this publication may be reproduced without further permission, provided the source is acknowledged. The EPA STRIVE Programme addresses the need for research in Ireland to inform policy makers and other stakeholders on a range of questions in relation to environmental protection. These reports are intended as contributions to the necessary debate on the protection of the environment. EPA STRIVE PROGRAMME 2007–2013 Published by the Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland ISBN: 978-1-84095-412-8 Online version Price: Free ii Details of Project Partners Margherita Gioria University College Dublin (UCD) School of Agriculture, Food Science, and Veterinary Medicine Agriculture and Food Science Centre Dublin 4 Ireland Tel.: +353 1 716 7740 Email: [email protected] John Feehan (Retired) University College Dublin (UCD) School of Agriculture, Food Science, and Veterinary Medicine Agriculture and Food Science Centre Dublin 4 Ireland Tel.: +353 1 716 7728 Email: [email protected] iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ii Disclaimer ii Details of Project Partners iii Executive Summary vii 1 The Biodiversity Value of Farmland Ponds 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Methods 3 1.3 Results 4 1.4 Discussion 11 2 Identifying the Drivers of Pond Biodiversity 12 2.1 Introduction 12 2.2 Data Analysis 12 2.3 Results 15 2.4 Discussion 21 3 Cross-taxon Congruence Analysis 23 3.1 Introduction 23 3.2 Data Analysis 25 3.3 Results 27 3.4 Discussion 33 4 Conclusions 36 5 Recommendations 39 References 41 Acronyms and Annotations 46 Appendix I 47 Appendix II 50 Appendix III 53 Appendix IV 55 v Executive Summary Freshwater is one of the most diverse and yet threatened made. To address issues associated with the collection components of global biodiversity. In Ireland, structural of extensive pond biodiversity data, including temporal changes in the agricultural sector have resulted in a and financial constraints, a quantitative assessment of long-term decline in water quality, in the eutrophication the potential use of vegetation data as a surrogate for of surface waters, and in the drainage and reclamation of pond biodiversity was also carried out. non-farmed freshwater habitats, with likely detrimental This study shows that farmland ponds contribute losses of biodiversity that have yet to be assessed. substantially to the maintenance of freshwater Despite agriculture being the predominant land biodiversity in Ireland. A large number of water beetle use, Ireland does not yet have in place a systematic and plant species were recorded from 54 farmland programme to monitor changes in freshwater ponds. Of the 76 beetle species collected from the biodiversity associated with agricultural activities. The study ponds and representing over 30% of the Irish achievement of biodiversity and water quality objectives water beetle fauna, 4 species are included in the Red requires investigations on the distribution of freshwater