In collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Biodiversity Data Centre is delighted to launch an updated version of the Grasslands Trail booklet. The ‘Grasslands Trail’ is a network of public and private grasslands spread across the island. All of these sites are managed sensitively, with nature conservation and grassland diversity in mind. The Grasslands Trail began as a pilot initiative in 2023. The updated booklet expands the number of trail sites from nine to twenty-seven and includes a new section featuring farmland sites.
The Grasslands Trail allows locals and visitors to gain a better understanding of endangered pasture and meadow habitats. For those sites that are publicly accessible, you can see and experience up close what great Irish grasslands look like.
Each site in the booklet has a profile to give you a flavour of that grassland, from orchids to rare breed cattle, from patches of meadow to vast areas of grassy habitats. All the grasslands in the Trail are what ecologists call ‘semi-natural grasslands’. They are not fully natural habitats because their existence is dependent on some human management. Without this, most would change to scrub or woodland. Semi-natural grasslands have not been heavily altered by agriculture, but instead, are managed in a less intensive way.
The Grasslands Trail is a tour through the amazing diversity of some of Ireland’s semi-natural grasslands. Over time, we will continue to expand the trail, but for now, we hope you enjoy those highlighted.
Download the updated booklet in English or Irish below: