Northern Ireland's largest wetlands re-creation project

by Siobhan Dignan, Volunteer

Thanks to major investment from Biffaward’s Landfill Community Fund, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s continued support, the RSPB has turned neglected scrubland into a remarkable conservation achievement.

Covering around 300 hectares, Portmore Lough is Northern Ireland’s largest fenland re-creation project. Here wildlife is returning and thriving in a safe haven, just a stone’s throw from Lough Neagh.

Waterworld

Re-creating the original fenland was a huge undertaking. Ditches needed to be cleaned and cleared, drains had to be widened, rush and willow controlled and sluices installed.

To help maintain this special habitat, Konik ponies were brought over from Poland to graze the area exposed by the removal of willow scrub, again supported by Biffaward.   

According to Portmore’s warden John Scovell, "These hardy wild ponies are a special fenlands breed, so they’re superb at keeping willow saplings under control and the grass short. They revel in the wet conditions and rough vegetation."

The ponies have thrived and gone on to successfully rear young on the reserve, indicating the perfect fit between the horses and their habitat.

In with the new

In late 2009, with support from Biffaward, RSPB acquired an additional 11 hectares, enabling us to extend the lapwing area.  

Rush control was the first thing that needed to be done. "With the rush at shoulder height, we needed special machinery to get rid of it," said John.

Water quality was tackled next.

"To improve water quality, we deepened the main drain between the fen and meadows," he explained. "We also installed sluices to allow us to raise water levels and collect rainwater. Nearly four kilometres of ditches were refilled to benefit newts and frogs, and give wading birds a place to forage."

In a flap over lapwings All this work resulted in an exponential increase in lapwings. From five breeding pairs in 2009 to 11 pairs this year, making Portmore one of the premier sites for these birds in Northern Ireland.   "The additional land also means that our target for lapwings is now 20 pairs," said John. "It is a figure that we could have only dreamt of ten years ago." Other wader have benefited from the work done – snipe especially have begun breeding on the reserve.

Where the wild things are

And it isn’t just the waders that have responded. The secretive garganey duck bred this year, while the lough was a nursery to 50 pairs of common tern, reed and sedge warblers, as well as a variety of waterfowl. In the winter, over 2,000 golden plover used the meadows. This summer a marsh harrier was seen hunting over the reserve regularly.

The diversity of insects colonising the area is a strong indicator of just how well the wet fenland is faring.

Last year a new species of beetle for Ireland was discovered here – a Sinodendron cylindricum, a variety of rhinocerous beetle. Two further new insect species for the reserve were also identified, bringing the total count of species new to Portmore to 233. Yep you read that right, 233 new insect species discovered here!

To attract the rare Irish damselfly, pits were dug and flooded. These have also managed to entice a rare water bug only recorded once previously in Northern Ireland. And within weeks of opening the drains, little egrets arrived and otter activity was noted.  

Sterling support from Biffaward

Such impressive progress would not have been possible without funding from Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. Biffaward distributes landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services. In total, Biffaward have contributed nearly £1 million to the RSPB UK-wide towards floodplain grazing marsh recovery.  

Over the past two years, the fund has given almost £250,000 to Portmore. A further £50,000 has also been confirmed to enhance water management on the new areas of land purchased through Biffaward.   

Cath Hare, Biffaward Assistant Programme Manager, said: "Biffaward is keen to support projects that work to protect and restore our natural environment. The project at Portmore Lough does this, whilst also encouraging the public to learn more about the area and species that live there."

Continued support and membership are essential to the successful work that we do. On behalf of the RSPB, we would like to say a big thank you to all our supporters. Without you, places like Portmore Lough would never achieve the wildlife potential it is capable of, and birds like the lapwing would never stand a fighting chance.

If you think others would enjoy supporting our work as well, why not ask them to become members? For as little as a cappuccino a month, they could help bring wildlife back from the brink and create a better environment for all in 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity.