mourne countryside centre

The special landscapes of the Mournes and Slieve Croob qualify them as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - an important designation which carries a committment to safeguard the natural beauty, wildlife and historic heritage of the area, and to promote its enjoyment by the public. Mourne Countryside Centre in Newcastle provides staff to assist in protecting habitats and wildlife, and tackle human-related problems ranging from path erosion to illegal dumping. It also has an important role in advising and grant-aiding others - such as local councils and other government departments - who are involved in developing public access throughout the area. The Centre is part of Environment Service, Countryside and Wildlife. Improbable as it may seem, much of the moorland habitat on the lower mountain slopes has arisen through man's removal of trees and the prevention of regeneration by grazing livestock and occasional burning. The native woods that remain are few and far between. For example only one pocket of extensive oak forest survives, now protected as a nature reserve on the slopes behind Rostrevor. Elsewhere, planted woods enhance the landscape at Mourne Park, Tollymore, Castlewellan and Donard Park, where older stands of mixed broadleaved trees grow alongside more recent coniferous plantations. Stone walls rather than hedgerows are the common field boundary between the mountains and the sea, whereas inland of the mountains there is a distinctive mix of tall hedgerows, streamside woods and ribbons of trees around lakes trapped by drumlins.