05/05/2026
Landscapes NI Statement – Fires in the Mournes (2026)
Landscapes NI utterly condemns the spate of wildfires that have devastated the Mourne Mountains and other uplands in 2026. Following another year of significant fire incidents, the destruction caused is widely recognised as not being accidental or opportunistic — it is reckless, unlawful and entirely preventable.
Deliberate fire setting in our protected landscapes is a criminal act, and it must be treated as such. Landscapes NI fully supports the DAERA Minister’s strengthened public stance and calls for robust investigation, enforcement and prosecution of those responsible. These fires place lives at risk, divert emergency services, and cause long lasting devastation to the wildlife within this precious landscape that is so precious to many people in Northern Ireland.
The Mournes are one of Northern Ireland’s most important landscapes for biodiversity, carbon storage and climate resilience. Fires strip vegetation, sterilise soils and destroy habitats that have taken decades to form. Repeated annual burning in springtime prevents recovery entirely and drives further ecological decline.
Spring and early summer is a critical period for wildlife, yet significant areas have been deliberately burned during peak breeding and spawning seasons. This is a pattern that happens every year at the start of the growing season, and there are few if any fires during the peak tourism times in June July and August that are caused accidentally. Messaging about taking care to not start fires accidentally is important but the reality is that there are very few fires caused this way. The springtime fires are deliberate.
Ground nesting birds, including skylark, meadow pipit and stonechat lose nests, eggs and chicks instantly, with little chance of escape. Many populations are already in severe decline.
The common lizard, Northern Ireland’s only native reptile is already rare and is highly vulnerable to fire, relying on heathland and rough grass mosaics for survival.
Our common frog, which is now not common due to reduction of ponds and water drainage at lower levels relies on our uplands as a key area for breeding and the tadpoles had all emerged into the shallow pools and puddles in the Mournes. Many of these will have been dried by the fire decimating populations of this amphibian
This is not coincidental environmental damage, it is the mass killing of wildlife that should be protected under the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act and the destruction of entire generations of species struggling to recover.
Legal protections must be enforced
Much of the Mournes lies within designated areas such as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). These designations highlight that these places are special for wildlife and for people and the few who persist in setting them ablaze on an annual basis in springtime are clearly breaking the law. Designations and rich ground cover are essential for wildlife and these cannot and must not be blamed for the fires – only people make the fires.
We urge:
• Full investigation of all suspected deliberate or negligent fires
• Use of existing environmental and wildlife legislation to pursue prosecutions
• Meaningful penalties that reflect the seriousness of the damage caused
• Stronger deterrence through visible enforcement and public messaging
Landscapes NI recognises the pressures facing land managers and communities, but there can be zero tolerance for activities that place our landscapes, wildlife and people at risk. Everyone who uses the Mournes has a responsibility to protect them.
It is shocking that at a time such as this, the Mourne Heritage Trust no longer has eyes and ears on the ground through the highly successful engagement ranger scheme due to the ending of funding for this essential service. We call for this service to be newly resourced and brought back into operation.
The events of this year must mark a turning point rather than just another year of the same. Climate change is increasing the periods of dryness and fire risk within our uplands, but climate conditions do not start fire, people do. Without decisive action, enhanced enforcement and successful prosecutions, the destruction may continue.
Landscapes NI stands firmly alongside the DAERA Minister, emergency services and partner organisations in calling for accountability, enforcement and protection of our most precious landscapes. The Mournes are irreplaceable. Allowing them to burn year after year is not inevitable, it is a failure we must not accept.
