Fair Head 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

• Woodlands occupy an insignificant area of the LCA (c.1.5%), but as they are spatially concentrated, they have local importance
• although many of the woodlands are planted or contain planted trees, several have semi-natural parts or are generally so and these may be ancient woodlands
• several of the woodlands have diverse herb layers and are rich in mosses, lichens and ferns
• important areas of semi-natural grassland, including rare eastern occurrence of upland calcareous grassland
• mosaic of communities on Fair Head including upland heath; support uncommon plant and bird species, including chough
• important cliff communities of plants and birds

Woodlands

Woodlands occupy an insignificant area of the LCA (c.1.5%), but as they are spatially concentrated, they have local importance. Thus, woodlands in Murlough Bay account for over 70% of the woods, the remainder is in Loughan Bay and the Altmore Burn; all three locations are National Trust sites.

In Murlough Bay most of the woods are planted although in several instances native trees are dominant. There are examples of upland mixed ashwoods with birch, sycamore, hazel and willows in addition to the dominant ash, but also with planted species such as Scots pine, larch and elm. Similarly, there are small woods dominated by birch with sycamore, hazel and ash and with planted elm and larch. The main woodlands are Murlough Cottage Plantation and Breesha plantation; these display a range of species - elm, beech, oak and ash are included as well as Scots pine, silver fir, lime and horse chestnut. The woodlands at Murlough Bay display a diverse herb flora, despite the dominance of bracken in some parts, reflecting the varied soil conditions; there are dry and wetter sites and sites that are more base rich than others.

At Loughan Bay there are areas of hazel-birch-willow-rowan scrub with bracken forming the herb layer, but there are also deeply incised streams dominated by hazel but with standards of ash and sycamore; there has also been some planting of poplars. The herb layer is very diverse in response to changing soil conditions, wet/dry, acidic/basic.

Altmore Glen contains deciduous woodland of ash, rowan, downy birch and hazel. The herb layer is very diverse with extensive fern-covered banks. The rare wood vetch grows on the side of the gorge and there is an old record for small cow wheat. The woodland provides a habitat for breeding birds including the sparrowhawk.

Grassland and Arable

Arable land is insignificant in this LCA. Grassland accounts for around two-thirds of the land cover although the proportion is difficult to estimate because much of the rough grassland is intermixed with heath. Improved pastures are about 70% of the grasslands, but restricted to the western and eastern parts of the LCA. In the west they occupy lowland that extends from the slopes of Fair Head towards Ballycastle whereas in the east they occupy a narrow shelf between the inland cliffs of the plateau and the coastal cliffs, opening out towards Torr Head.

Improved pastures generally have low biodiversity as a result of relatively intensive management. Some of the pastures are sown grasslands dominated by ryegrass and few other species - low biodiversity is in-built. Other grasslands have been converted to improved pastures through management. High levels of grazing or repeated cutting for silage, high inputs of fertilizers and slurry, and selective herbicides serve to reduce diversity of both flora and fauna. Arable land is insignificant in this LCA.

Biodiversity in areas of improved pastures is often concentrated in hedgerows - they provide a refuge for many woodland and farmland plants and animals. However, in this LCA, the eastern area of improved pastures has few hedges; fences provide the boundaries of most fields in the windswept conditions. There are almost no trees. Similarly, in the western area fences predominate although there are some hawthorn hedges with a little gorse and occasional ash and willow trees.

Rough grazing is found on the steep slopes of the plateau in the east, both where fields have been abandoned and on the rocky slopes. Depending on soil conditions, the rough grazing may be rushy or may have heathers; bracken also dominates in some locations.

Murlough Bay is mainly an area of semi-natural grasslands that because of the diversity of its geology and soils, has diversity of grassland types. Upland calcareous grassland occurs on landslip material below the chalk cliffs; species include harebell, thyme, purging flax and early purple orchid . On the damper, more acidic conditions of sandstone areas the sward contains hay rattle, yellow saxifrage and butterwort. There are base-rich flushes present with grass of Parnassus and water avens. and yellow flag iris in the wettest parts.

In the southern part of the bay around Benvan and extending upslope the grassland is more acidic and merges with heather heath. Close to the sea bracken with abundant bluebell is dominant over large areas.

Heaths and Bogs

There are no significant peat bogs in the LCA. Heaths are common on Fair Head and the upper parts of the eastern slopes, but they are not easily delimited. Thus the vegetation on the plateau above Fair Head consists of a mosaic of wet and dry heath (upland heathland), grass-heath and acidic grassland. Dry heath with common heather (ling), bell heather and purple moor grass is predominant, but there are areas of Sphagnum mosses (bog mosses), sedges and bog myrtle. Uncommon species present include cranberry, bog sedge and white sedge. Towards the cliffs, dwarf gorse and creeping willow are common.

Wetlands and Lakes

Lough Doo and Lough Na Cranagh are mesotrophic lakes of the Isoetes-Lobelia type, that is they are un-enriched, base-poor natural lakes but contain species rare in Northern Ireland. (However, there is no recent evidence of the scarce water lobelia and quillwort.) Lakes of this type are declining in number because of enrichment through input of water from agricultural land. Lough Fadden has been classed as of low priority but it does have associated fens. At the southern end, undisturbed poor-fen merges into wet heath and acidic grassland on the higher ground. The relatively rare dioecious sedge is recorded.

Coastal

The cliffs of Fair Head (maritime cliff and slopes), with their northerly aspect, have a flora that is montane in character despite the relatively low altitude. `Uncommon species recorded include Welsh poppy, roseroot, spring sandwort and subalpine mosses and lichens. The cliffs provide safe nest sites for many rare and uncommon birds. The littoral sites generally have poor floral and faunal diversity because of their exposure; exceptions include the more sheltered Murlough Bay and parts of Loughan Bay, in particular a large tidal rock pool.

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, but important concentrations with some Priority Habitat

types; diverse herb layers

Actions:

• enhance the biodiversity value of woodland through control of grazing; by encouraging planting of saplings of the standard trees; by retention of fallen and veteran trees (particularly for bryophytes, ferns, fungi and fauna); by limiting 'invasive' species such as sycamore
• further study of the history of broadleaved woodlands particularly any ancient and long-established, as a key to future management
• prevent fly-tipping in stream-side woodlands

GRASSLAND AND ARABLE

Issue: poor biodiversity of farmland

Actions:

• maintain and improve field boundaries especially hedgerows where they are a traditional element of the landscape . 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 (through participation in Environmental Schemes) adoption of less intensive management of pastures to allow reversion to more species-rich grassland and protect unsown areas of species-rich grassland - e.g. continue controlled grazing of upland calcareous grassland

HEATH AND BOGS

Issue: intricate mosaic of upland heathland and grasslands on Fir Head

Actions:

• promote membership of ESA and other environmental schemes through consultation with farmers and thereby
• monitor grazing intensity on existing heathland to encourage development of heathland and of heather of different ages
• control gazing intensity on some upland grassland to promote return to heathland
• monitor impacts of walkers on the vegetation and on chough population

WETLANDS

Issue: small area of fen, but part of the complex mosaic on Fair Head

Action:

• protect fens against loss or damage by drainage.

Issue: important mesotrophic lakes

Action:

• maintain existing management so as to avoid any change to status.

COASTAL

Issue: rare cliff communities at Fair Head

Action:

• monitor the activities of visitors in relation to vegetation and bird populations

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