'Mournes could take centuries to recover from wildfires'
Wildfires in the Mourne Mountains have destroyed over seven square miles of land, causing severe damage to peatlands and rare habitats. Conservation experts warn that the ecological recovery could take centuries due to the slow regeneration of peat and loss of specialist species. Repeated fires, some caused by deliberate acts, are preventing the landscape from recovering fully.
- ▪Over a thousand hectares were burned in the Mournes in just one week, according to National Trust ranger James Fisher.
- ▪Dr Neil Reid from Queen's University Belfast stated that peatland loses decades or centuries of growth when damaged by fire.
- ▪A 2021 wildfire's aftermath showed invertebrate populations still 90% lower after three years, indicating long-term biodiversity impacts.
- ▪The Mournes is designated as both an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and an Area of Special Scientific Interest.
- ▪Nigel McKinney of The Mourne Heritage Trust described the burned areas as resembling a 'moonscape' with almost no remaining life.
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'Mournes could take centuries to recover from wildfires' 6 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNaomi HollandandNiall Glynn,BBC News NI PA MediaThe charred aftermath of a fire in the Mourne Mountains in April 2025Firefighters have once again been battling wildfires in the Mourne Mountains, with over seven square miles of ground destroyed in the last week.The immediate damage is clear to see, with heavy palls of smoke hanging over the blackened and charred landscape, but a conservation expert said the long-term damage could take hundreds of years to repair.Dr Neil Reid from Queen's University Belfast (QUB) said: "If it keeps happening year after year, it's death by a thousand cuts.
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