Beaghmore Moors and Marsh Biodiversity Profile
In the following account it should be noted that for consistency, the biodiversity section follows a standard order for all LCAs even though some of the communities discussed later may have more importance for biodiversity than those discussed earlier.
Key Characteristics
- an extremely complex patchwork of habitats arising from the hummocky topography and underlying geology
- thus generally small units of intact bog surrounded by cut-over bog are intermixed with heath, acid grassland and patches of pasture of variable quality
- contains some of the most important intact bogs in Northern Ireland - transitional between lowland and upland blanket peat and transitional between 'Midland' and oceanic types
- lacking broadleaved woodland, but has extensive conifer forests
- upland rivers with rare freshwater fauna
Woodlands
All the woodlands, apart from a few isolated small patches of scrubby broadleaves, are coniferous forests and plantations that occupy about 8% of the LCA. State Forests comprise Davagh Forest in the northeast and the several blocks of Creggan Forest (= Cashel Wood) in the centre-south. Both are dominated by Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine. There are quite large open areas within the forests which add to the biodiversity; thus the Northern Ireland Priority Species curlew, red grouse and marsh fritillary have all been recorded. The red squirrel is also present in Cashel Wood (South-West).
Small conifer plantations (0.5-6ha) are scattered across the northern part of the LCA; these too are dominated by Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine.
There is little threat to biodiversity posed by present management of the forests. However, most were planted on peat and are adjacent to some of the remaining larger expanses of intact blanket bog. However, whilst the Forest Service has a presumption against new planting on areas of peat, the possible effects of forestry practices on the surrounding peatlands should be considered.
Grassland and Arable
Improved grassland occupies approximately 20% of the LCA, but continuous belts occur only along the north-western, western and southern borders. Elsewhere, improved grassland is in patches scattered between peatland, heath and acid grassland. This distribution is affected by the topography and underlying geology. Better-drained soils on hummocks and ridges have pastures, whereas the lower and flatter parts have heath and peat, although some of the thin peat has been reclaimed to pasture. Hollows or basins are occupied by deep peat. There is very little arable land. The pasture fields vary in quality; many of those won from peat and peaty soils have reverted to rushes. 
The field boundaries offer little towards biodiversity; hedges are scarce, and where found are generally very thin, often nothing more than a line of occasional shrubs. Wire fences are a common field boundary. Generally, therefore, agriculture poses little threat to biodiversity; there is little intensively managed farmland. Only in the more continuous areas of improved pastures is there any danger to streams and the environment from herbicides, slurry, sheep-dip and silage effluent; farming should follow appropriate practices such as outlined in the Countryside Management Guidelines to a avoid stream pollution.
The complex inter-mix of farmland, heath, acid grassland and peatland characteristic of this LCA, makes it difficult to assign Northern Ireland Priority Species to particular habitats. For example, the curlew is common to many townlands containing wet heath, bog and damp grasslands. Some of the other priority species discussed below may occur also in the damp grasslands.
Heaths and Bogs
Peatland occupies around half of the LCA, but it is highly variable in depth ranging from thin peat (just more than the threshold 50cm deep) to peat developed over basins that is several metres thick. This variation is related to the hummocky topography, but also to past cutting. There is an extraordinarily complex patchwork of expanses of cut-over peat, in which there are islands of intact blanket bog, separated by grasslands of variable quality. In addition there are areas of heath.
Some of the intact bogs are notable for their size and for their structural features. Black Bog ASSI (also cSAC, RAMSAR and FNR) is one of the largest raised bog sites in Northern Ireland. However, this site is located in marginal upland, which, together with its underlying topography, suggests a bog intermediate in nature between raised and blanket bog. Important structural features include a well developed and extensive hummock and hollow complex and a lagg. Bog mosses rare in Northern Ireland also occur. Butterflies are plentiful, in particular the marsh fritillary and green hairstreak. To the south of Black Bog, Creggan-Mweela Bog is also a relatively large bog with a pool complex at its centre.
Blanket bog is confined in Europe to the north-western seaboard so that intact bogs such as these are important habitats at national and European levels. Examples with well-developed structural features are still rarer and the bogs in this LCA are transitional not only between lowland raised bog and blanket bog, but also between the Irish 'Midland' type of bog and the more oceanic or Atlantic bog. In addition, they have some of the rarer bog plants and Northern Ireland Priority Species - curlew, red grouse, Irish hare, and marsh fritillary butterfly.
Heath is a relatively rare and declining habitat in Northern Ireland, but there are notable patches in this LCA, often found overlying gravel and boulder glacial and fluvio-glacial deposits. Heather is dominant, and being inter-mixed with peatland, has some of the same Northern Ireland Priority Species. Golden plover has been recorded at Beaghmore.
Wetlands and Lakes
Three mesotrophic lakes are situated in the south of the LCA, Creggan Lough, Lough Nanallog and Loughnagay. These type of lakes are characterised by peaty or silty sediments and by being moderately enriched. The latter two have associated fen communities, relatively rare in the upland west of the Northern Ireland.
The Owenkillew River has its headwaters in Davagh Forest; this upper section is typical of fast-flowing spate rivers that are ultra-oligotrophic. However, it is mainly of interest to biodiversity further downstream - thus the Broughderg River (as it is known in its upper middle reaches) has the freshwater pearl mussel - the Owenkillew River as a whole supports the largest known population in Northern Ireland, where it is one of the few rivers to still retain a significant and viable population of this rare shellfish (see also LCA 24). The Upper Ballinderry River is also important for this species. Only a short length of this river (Upper Ballinderry River ASSI and cSAC) occurs in the southeast of the LCA; it is a fast-flowing, mesotrophic river which is particularly notable for the diversity and naturalness of the bank and channel and the richness of the associated plant and animal communities (see LCA 43). The otter is common to most rivers in the LCA and most have both salmon and brown trout.
Key Issues
General actions for UK and NI Priority Habitats and Priority Species are detailed in the Habitat Action Plans and Species Action Plans.
WOODLANDS
Issue: low woodland cover of variable biodiversity but including large open areas within forests with NI Priority Species recorded.
Actions:
- encourage planting of native broadleaved woodlands through appropriate grant schemes rather than conifer plantations, which are of poor biodiversity value; ensure that planting does not reduce habitats of NI Priority Species
- encourage control of grazing in isolated patches of scrubby broadleaves to foster regeneration and if necessary, replanting of canopy species.
Issue: possible effects of forestry practices on adjacent intact blanket bog.
Actions:
- manage the nutrient levels of adjacent peatland so that plant species which are adapted to low nutrient levels, will not be subject to increased nutrient levels
- ensure that forestry practices do not lead to acidification of streams with a consequent loss of species, lowering of the water tables in adjacent areas of peat via drainage or the establishment of conifer seedlings on drier bog sites.
GRASSLAND AND ARABLE
Issue: poor biodiversity of improved pastures and scarcity of hedges.
Actions:
- encourage (through participation in Environmental Schemes) adoption of less intensive management of pastures to allow reversion to more species-rich grassland and protect any unsown areas of species-rich grassland
- maintain and improve field boundaries especially hedgerows in areas of improved pasture. This may be achieved through adoption of correct cutting cycles; hedge laying and replanting where necessary; leaving saplings uncut to develop into hedgerow trees; avoidance of spraying with fertilizers, slurry, herbicides; provision of wildlife strips and conservation headlands around fields; and limitation of field amalgamation.
- encourage farmers to follow appropriate practices such as outlined in the Countryside Management Guidelines to avoid pollution of streams and the environment from herbicides, slurry, sheep-dip and silage effluent.
HEATHS AND BOGS
Issue: lowland raised bogs and blanket bogs are of national and international importance but are threatened by forest planting, reclamation, quarrying and peat extraction.
Actions:
- maintain the integrity of existing lowland raised bogs and blanket bogs by for example, preventing infilling, fly-tipping, fires, new drainage, new peat cutting, reclamation for grazing or quarrying for sand and gravel
- consider restoration of bog habitats through appropriate water level management, removal of individual colonising trees and phasing out peat cutting
- prevent new forest planting on bogs
- consider expansion of the number of protected sites
- promote public awareness of the value of peatlands and support existing interpretive initiatives
WETLANDS AND LAKES
Issue: important lakes and rivers with NI Priority types including largest known population of freshwater pearl mussel and otter, but may be threatened from particulate pollution
Actions:
- protect water quality of lakes and rivers through nutrient management and by reducing suspended sediments, thus
- promote and encourage existing good farming practices so that lakes and rivers are not polluted by run-off from agricultural lands, seepage from silage pits
- prevent particulate pollution of rivers from forestry, peat cutting and quarrying; install adequate sediment traps
- monitor streams in relation to expansion of rural housing and associated septic tanks/sewage treatment plants
