One of the focuses of our Nature Conservation Strategy is on the conservation of habitats at landscape or Forest Management Unit (FMU) Level. Under FSC guidelines, Coillte is required to identify a minimum of 15% of each Forest Management Unit that will be managed with nature conservation as a primary management objective.

In 2000, we commenced the process of identifying suitable areas for inclusion in this 15%. As a first step, Coillte inventory data and local staff knowledge provided a full list of "potential biodiversity areas" on the estate. We developed a system to ensure that these areas would be protected during forest operations.

Between 2001 and 2005 we commissioned ecological surveys of its entire estate by independent ecologists who worked closely with Coillte staff on the ground.  These surveys together comprise one of the largest habitat surveys conducted in Ireland to date and a large amount of ecological information has been gathered.   Follow up work to the ecological surveys is ongoing, primarily in the development of management plans for the biodiversity areas identified. 

This process identifies, in some cases, sites that have nature conservation value, or that merit management for some specific nature conservation interest. We also refer to these areas as biodiversity areas. They are different to biodiversity features.