Ballyroney Basin Biodiversity Profile

In the following account of this LCA it should be noted that for consistency, the biodiversity section follows the 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

• Flat lowland waterlogged basin with several lakes
• Dominated by old cut-over bogs and small pockets of fen
• Very little woodland; some small wet woodland areas of birch and willow associated with bogs and fen
• Dominated by improved pasture but significant amount of acid grassland

Woodlands

There is very little woodland present in his LCA (under 2%), the majority of which is wet woodland often associated with areas of fen, bog and around lakes. The largest areas are found around Lackan Bog and Ballyward Lake and consist of mainly birch and willow. Other smaller areas are found around Bannfield bog, Ballyroney Lake and Hunshigo Lake. There are also some areas of both broadleaved and coniferous woodland around Ballyward lodge (Lowland woodland pasture and parkland).

Grassland and Arable

Grasslands occupy approximately 86% of the LCA, predominantly in improved pastures (72%). These have limited biodiversity because of their intensive management and any diversity of flora and fauna is generally to be found in the hedgerows surrounding the fields. Biodiversity can be increased therefore through suitable management of hedges - such as application of Countryside Management guidelines (including laying of hedges, planting of trees and shrubs, correct cutting cycles, avoidance of spraying with herbicides, pesticides, slurry and fertilizers) to encourage plant, animal and insect diversity, particularly of farmland birds.

In general this LCA is flat and waterlogged and has a many pockets of wet acid grassland that are widely distributed over the whole of the LCA; they correspond to the locations of fen. These damp grasslands are an important habitat for breeding waders such as lapwing curlew and snipe.

There are a few areas of dry rough grassland especially around Gargarry and Ballyward where Irish hare have been sighted.

Arable fields are found mainly in a band down the west of the LCA, on the deeper soils of the lower lying land between Ballyroney and Hilltown. Biodiversity can be improved not only by suitable hedgerow management, but also by leaving 'conservation headlands' and 'wildlife strips' around fields. A move from autumn sown cereals to spring sown and leaving stubble through the winter is also beneficial to farmland birds such as the linnet.

Heaths and Bogs

There are a few areas of bog in this LCA, the largest of these is Lackan Bog ASSI formerly a raised bog, but now completely cut-over. This bog represents one of the largest single blocks of lowland peat left in County Down. This site has been designated as an ASSI and is home to species such as bogbean, cinquefoil, Sphagnum bog-mosses, and bottle sedge as well as more common species like purple moor grass and cotton sedge. The site also contains areas of open water and scrub woodland of birch and willow. The site is important for a range of wildlife including the Irish damselfly and the marsh fritillary butterfly. However, over 6 ha of this site has been used for dumping. There are other smaller areas of old bog in this area including Bannfield, Hunshigo Lake, Ballyward Lake and around Lisnamullan and Gargarry. These sites tend to have associated areas of fen and scrub woodland. They have all been cut over, therefore parts of the sites have developed into fen.

Any proposals for arterial and field drainage near to the bogs need to be carefully assessed so that the water table is not lowered to the extent that the peat bogs and wet woodlands are affected.

Fly-tipping is a problem around the edges of the bogs near to roads; this needs to be discouraged and offending material removed. In-fill of cut-over bogs, for example as refuse tips, also needs to be prevented because although they have lost many of the features and species associated with lowland raised bog, they often have areas of good heather dominated cover as well as a diversity of developing communities and habitats.

Wetlands and Lakes

Fen is widespread and most individual sites are small with many areas being lost due to drainage, reclaimed to pasture and encroachment by scrub woodland. There are several fen sites that exist around lake margins such as those at Ballyroney Lake, Ballyward Lake and Hunshigo Lake. The fen communities at Ballyroney Lake are generally poor but there is some bottle sedge dominated fen and a diversity of habitats including areas of reed swamp and birch and willow scrub which provide habitats for a wider range of flora and fauna. There is also an area of fen located at Gargarry alongside an area of cut-over bog. This site is variable with some areas of bottle sedge and others that appear to be nutrient enriched and dominated by species such as meadowsweet due to the water table being lowered by drainage.

Fens therefore need to be protected against loss by drainage and infill, which includes use as official refuse tips as well as sites in which to deposit building rubble and fly-tipping. Damage can also result form leakage of fertilizers and slurry from surrounding agricultural land; this increases the nutrient levels and affects species composition.

There are three main lakes in this LCA. Ballyroney is eutrophic (eutrophic standing waters) with associated swamp and fen communities. Ballyward Lake and Hunshigo Lake are both nutrient enriched and are generally of low biodiversity value but they do have associated fen communities.

The Upper Bann contains river water crowfoot. There are three other rivers in this LCA including Muddock River and Drumadonnell River, where otter have been recorded, and Leitrim River. It is essential for the wildlife of rivers and streams that pollution incidences are avoided; in this LCA the main threat is from agriculture. Monitoring of water quality, maintenance of sewage plants, and avoidance of leakage of agricultural fertilizers, slurry and silage effluent (by following Countryside Management Guidelines) are all required.

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: the limited woodlands contained in this LCA are examples of the NI Priority Habitats wet woodland and lowland woodland pasture and parkland

Actions:

• ensure conservation of wet woodlands by allowing succession to take place and installing fencing to prevent trampling; ensure that they are not lost through drainage, reclamation, landfill or dumping/tipping
• management plans for broadleaved woodland should be directed toward their survival, through natural regrowth or planting of native broadleaf species; halt any further felling or pollarding; retain veteran trees and dead wood
• encourage control of grazing in broadleaved woodlands to foster herb layer and regeneration
• further study of the history and ecology of broadleaved woodlands within the LCA, particularly any ancient and long-established, as a key to future management; monitor sites
• encourage planting of broadleaved woodlands through appropriate grant schemes rather than the conifer plantations and shelterbelts that are of poor biodiversity and landscape value; ensure that hazel scrub is not cleared

GRASSLAND AND ARABLE

Issue: improved grasslands and arable of low biodiversity value, interspersed with pockets of wet acid grassland and dry rough grassland.

Actions:

• encourage (through participation in Environmental Schemes) adoption/continuance of less intensive management of pastures to allow reversion to/continuance of more species-rich grassland and protect unsown areas of grassland including dry rough grassland
• maintain and improve field boundaries around arable lands, especially hedgerows where they occur through adoption of correct cutting cycles; hedge laying and replanting where necessary; leave saplings uncut to develop into hedgerow trees; avoidance of spraying with fertilisers, slurry, herbicides; provision of wildlife strips and conservation headlands around fields; and limitation of field amalgamation
• maintain and enhance wet acid grassland which is important for breeding waders by where, possible, restricting field or arterial drainage
• leave stubble over winter, rather than autumn ploughing to increase food resources for farmland birds; spring-sown cereals are beneficial to farmland birds

HEATHS AND BOGS

Issue: Lackan Bog ASSI and other former lowland raised bogs are under pressure from a range of threats

Actions:

• maintain the integrity of existing lowland raised bogs by for example, preventing infilling, fly-tipping, fires, new drainage, encroachment by trees and mechanised peat cutting - applies particularly to intact bogs but cut-over bogs can provide important habitats for birds and invertebrates. All dumped rubbish should be removed from bogs
• any proposals for arterial and field drainage near to bogs need to be carefully assessed so that the water table is not lowered to the extent that the peat bogs are affected
• consider restoration of bog habitats through appropriate water level management, removal of individual colonising trees and phasing out peat cutting - applies particularly to formerly intact bogs affected by recent mechanical cutting
• prevent new forest planting on lowland raised bogs, especially those which could be restored to active growth
• monitor use of cut-over lowland raised bogs to ensure that important micro-habitats are not lost, that the large tracts of land required by predator birds are not broken up by planting and other uses, and that the needs of over-wintering and breeding wetland birds are met

WETLANDS AND LAKES

Issue: NI Priority Habitat fens and eutrophic lakes require protection. The Upper Bann contains the NI Priority Species otter and river water crowfoot.

Actions:

• prevent further loss of fens through drainage, reclamation, land-fill, new woodland planting and encroachment by scrub woodland; prevent dumping and fly-tipping and encourage removal of rubbish; care should be taken to divert the flow of nutrient-rich water from agricultural land away from fens, so that sites do not become damaged by a change in species composition
• carefully assess any proposals for arterial and field drainage near to fens so that the water table is not lowered to the extent that fens are affected
• promote and encourage adoption of Countryside Management guidelines so that rivers, fens and eutrophic lakes are not polluted by releases from silage effluent, herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers or sheep dip; ensure that further eutrophication does not occur as a result of nutrient-rich surface waters from surrounding farmland
• monitor the Upper Bann in relation to expansion of rural/urban housing and associated septic tanks/sewage treatment plants
• monitor effects of recreation, including fishing, on shoreline communities (reedbeds, fens etc.)

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