Concerns Over Visitor Impact Without Engagement Rangers
If you plan to hike in the sun this weekend, will you keep your dog on a lead? Will you consider your impact on the natural environment or be mindful of potential fire risks?
These concerns were previously managed in the Mourne Mountains by a dedicated team of engagement rangers. However, due to funding shortages, the last engagement ranger, Peter Rafferty, retired in December.
Rafferty expressed worry about who will now oversee the mountains, having witnessed firsthand the difficulty in communicating important messages to visitors.
"The environment's getting hammered with so many people,"
he said, emphasizing the need for visitors to understand
"the reasons why they should be staying on the paths, why they shouldn't be walking on top of the Mourne Walls".
He also noted instances of visitors bringing bags of logs onto the mountain during fire warnings, raising concerns about how such information will be disseminated without ranger presence.
Visitor numbers to the Mourne Mountains reached record highs during the Covid-19 pandemic. Engagement rangers were introduced to encourage responsible use of the area, advising hikers on issues ranging from dog control to terrain changes and wildfire risks.
Initially, three engagement rangers were employed by the charity, but last year this number was reduced to one, and now there are none.
The Mourne Heritage Trust has expressed concern about potential damage to the area resulting from the absence of engagement rangers.
The conservation charity explained that external funding had gradually declined over the years and, despite the initiative's importance, they could no longer sustain it.
Chief executive Nigel McKinney stated they estimated that
"in excess of 300,000 visitors"come each year, placing
"additional pressures"on the mountains' infrastructure.
Farmers' Concerns About Increased Visitor Impact
The loss of engagement rangers is also a concern for farmers such as Brian O'Hanlon, whose family has grazed sheep in the Mournes for generations.
Since the 2020 pandemic, he reported that the Ott Track, a popular walking route, has become
"10 times busier than it's ever been before".
O'Hanlon highlighted that the biggest issue for him and other farmers is dogs not being kept on leads.
He recounted an incident from last year where, after only two days of sheep being out,
"we had four sheep killed, put out over a cliff on the back mountains out here."
This was particularly concerning as the sheep were heavily pregnant at the time.
"A stray dog can make a disaster in five minutes."
For O'Hanlon, the absence of engagement rangers is a significant loss because
"they were giving people good advice".
John Keown, who manages between 500 and 600 Mourne Blackface ewes in the hills, also expressed concern about the increased number of visitors.
He noted that this influx has caused
"a big lot of worrying of sheep,"resulting in
"ewes with legs broke and sheep found in rivers."
Keown urged visitors to
"look after the mountains"by closing gates, keeping dogs on leads, and taking litter home.
Funding Challenges and Future Prospects
Nigel McKinney from Mourne Heritage Trust voiced concerns about the future without engagement rangers.
He shared an observation from March, stating that
"I counted myself 80% of dogs were off leads and that's a big problem now we're in bird nesting season."
He also mentioned the growing issue of dog waste left behind by visitors.
McKinney indicated the charity would seek alternative funding sources for the ranger program.
"But really, an area such as the Mournes, the most visited upland area in Northern Ireland, I think our reasonable expectation is of more sustained statutory funding rather than a charity having to go and look for resources elsewhere that are increasingly hard to find."
Initial funding for the engagement rangers came from the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera), Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, and Sport NI.
A Daera spokesperson acknowledged
"the valuable work carried out by the environmental sector in Northern Ireland,"noting that the department had previously provided support and continues to
"provide significant multi-year funding"to the Mourne Heritage Trust through the Environment Fund 2023 - 2028.
A Sport NI spokesperson recognized
"the value and popularity of outdoor sport including hillwalking and rambling."
"We were proud to play a small role in the Mourne Heritage Trust's engagement ranger initiative, providing 15% of the funding over the four-year period,"the spokesperson added.
