The impact of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) on the diversity of flora and Carabidae fauna within the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

The Republic of Ireland’s Rural Environment Protection Scheme, or REPS, is one of a suite of agri-environment schemes around the EU that aim to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of farming. Approximately 40% of farmers in the Republic of Ireland have joined the scheme since its introduction in 1994. The objectives of this research are to examine the effects that certain REPS measures may be having on plant and insect species diversity, and to propose a basis for the effective monitoring of the impact of REPS on biodiversity with particular reference to the establishment of baseline data. Chapter I deals with the development of agri-environmental policy in the EU and the emergence of the REPS. Little ecological evaluation of the scheme has been done to date, and in particular, evaluation of the scheme’s impact on farmland biodiversity has been neglected. The rationale underpinning the expectation that certain REPS measures should have a beneficial effect on the diversity of flora and fauna is discussed in Chapter 2 Fieldwork was conducted on 60 grassland and tillage farms in Counties Laois, Offaly and Wexford during 1999 and 2000. Equal numbers of REPS and non-REPS farms were included in the study. Selected REPS farms had been in the scheme for at least four years. Hedges, field margins and watercourse margins were surveyed using quadrat methods and pitfall trapping.