NORTHERN IRELAND - Environment
Many environmental advantages
Northern Ireland has an attractive and varied landscape, with a fine coastline, lakes and hills, moorland and mountain areas. Climatic conditions result in a characteristically verdant landscape and the plant and animal species found in the region form a mixture unique within the United Kingdom. There is little natural woodland, but many government-owned plantations which are run as forest parks. Quarrying occurs in many parts of the province, mostly on a small scale, and peat extraction is common in upland areas.
There is relatively little heavy industry to produce atmospheric pollution. 'Clean air' legislation is on the statute book in Belfast, but has so far been applied only to certain areas of the city.
Marine pollution, whilst greater in the enclosed Irish Sea than in the open Atlantic Ocean, gives rise to no severe problems. In 2002, one of the 16 identified bathing waters in Northern Ireland failed to comply with the European Community Bathing Water Directive coliform standards. This represented 93.8 per cent compliance with the standards, compared with 98.5 per cent in England, 100.0 per cent in Wales and 91.4 per cent in Scotland. In addition, the chemical quality of around 85 per cent of the 4,100 kilometres of river water measured was found to be ?very good?, ?good? or ?fairly good?.
The region has a history of settlement stretching back over 8 000 years. Numerous important sites from various historical periods are protected and preserved.
Approximately 90 per cent of municipal waste collected in Northern Ireland is treated by landfilling.
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