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Project title

Ammonia Impact Reduction on Natura 2000 sites

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University College Dublin (UCD)

Lead Applicant

Thomas Curran

Project Abstract

Atmospheric ammonia already poses a substantial threat to Irish ecosystems, with numerous Natura 2000 sites already exceeding thresholds at which impacts occur. With increased agricultural activity, reductions in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx) and increased emissions as a result of increasing temperatures the ammonia issue is going to continue to worsen. Though a national emission ceiling could be met if every farm across the country adopts every mitigation measure by 2030, this does not resolve contributions to protected sites such as the Natura 2000 network. The Atmospheric Impact Reduction on Natura 2000 sites (AIRN2K) project addresses the need for spatially resolved management of ammonia emissions in Ireland. Working from the ecosystems perspective and identifying the proportion of emission reductions required adjacent protected Natura 2000 sites is central to both compliance with the Habitats Directive, but now also the National Emissions Ceilings Directive. Where work is urgently required to identify contributing sources of ammonia to Natura 2000 sites in Ireland. It is imperative that efforts are made to identify both sources and solutions to local critical threshold exceedances identified through both modelling and monitoring across Natura 2000 sites in Ireland. Modelling carried out within this project will be developed to integrate with site specific nitrogen management plans, to ensure emissions can be managed nationally to protect these habitats. The subsample of sites selected will be used to inform a national model which will estimate the proportion of emission reductions required adjacent Natura 2000 sites, in order to reduce current impacts. This project will also be linked with monitoring underway as part of the National Ecosystem Monitoring Network (NEMN), a requirement under the National Emissions Ceilings Directive. Where monitoring can be used to validate local dispersion models and required reductions identified for sites to meet ammonia concentrations below which impacts occur. This approach would allow for target emission reductions required of local agriculture to be identified. Thereby allowing for the application of approaches that ensure a reduction in impacts alongside reducing contributions to national emissions. While currently Industrial Emission Directive licensing requires strict adherence of above threshold pig and poultry farms to contributions to Natura 2000 sites, the vast majority of agricultural practices require no such assessment in Ireland. This is direct conflict with the opinion of the European Commission who highlighted in the Dutch Nitrogen Case, that even grazing cattle need to be assessed for contributions of ammonia to Natura 2000 sites. This project will develop a suite of monitoring approaches that could be linked to national monitoring, as part of local environmental assessments or potentially within results-based payments schemes for farmers. If the IED thresholds are decreased with inclusion of cattle as predicted, there will be a substantial increase in the number of agricultural developments requiring appropriate assessment. This medium scale project will identify a range of solutions required to protect sites not just in Ireland, but internationally, developing a range of approaches to assess and manage ammonia impacts on Natura 2000 sites.

Grant Approved

�349,429.39

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

n/a

Start Date

01/03/2023

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/08/2025