The Farmed Landscape and Field Boundaries

Potato Field

The dominant landscape feature of the Causeway Coast and Glens is characterised by enclosed agricultural land of grazed fields bounded by hedges or wall. Man has farmed this area for 6000 years and during this period wildlife has adapted to live in the semi natural habitats created by farming such as hay meadows, arable fields, pastures and heaths. It is only in the last 40 years that wildlife has struggled with the increasing use of pesticides and fertilisers driving much of agricultural production. Unimproved grassland is often home to interesting and rare plants and flowers such as orchids. Resident insect populations in these areas also help support bird and small mammal populations. Northern Ireland has a high proportion of the UK's wet grassland habitat which is important for wading birds such as the curlew and snipe.

Harvest near Binevenagh

Arable fields are also important for wildlife particularly in winter although the area of land in mixed farming has declined. Weed seeds and stubble are important food sources for birds.

Hedgerows are an invaluable resource for wildlife and also an important feature of the rural landscape. They act as 'wildlife corridors', enabling wildlife to move more easily between other habitats such as woodland.

Hedgerows are an important part of the landscape within the Causeway Coast and Glens however coverage is declining. Hawthorn is the main species together with blackthorn, gorse, hazel holly and rose. These plants support a rich insect life and provide cover and food for breeding birds and small mammals such as field mice, hedgehogs and stoats. Hedgerow trees , commonly ash and elm, add interest to the hedge.

Hedgerow ditches or 'sheughs'- these damp areas alongside hedges are wildlife havens particularly where the surrounding land has been drained. Frogs can travel several miles via ditches and damp hedgerows to find a suitable breeding ground.

Dry stone walls and earth banks – Drystone walls characterise some parts of the Causeway Coast and Glens and are an important part of the landscape in for example the Braid valley and within the Glens of Antrim. They offer cover for wildlife and can also support mosses, lichens and ferns which in turn support insect life to support small mammals and birds. Like hedgerows Dry stone wall coverage within the area is declining.