A survey of neglected agricultural land in the Sperrin Mountains, Northern Ireland

Abstract

Neglect of enclosed pasture is a familiar feature of farmland in Ireland, and this survey examines the distribution of neglected pasture fields in the Sperrin Mountains of Northern Ireland. Neglect was denned by invasions of heath species, rushes, sedges and mosses competing with cultivated grasses, and identified from Ordnance Survey Six Inch maps and two air photograph surveys. The distribution of neglected fields was related to the physical variables of altitude and aspect, as well as to the date of enclosure. Generally, neglected fields were more common at higher altitudes, north facing aspect and in land enclosed after 1833, but many exceptions were found. Neglect was also classified on a temporal scale by observed frequency of neglect at the several surveys of maps and air photographs, but it was considered that the many cultural reasons for neglect could be suggested rather than used as explanations.