Iveagh Slopes 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

• undulating upland plateau textured with rocky outcrops, especially on Knockiveagh
• generally low in diversity of habitats and species
• woodland very scarce and only a few small patches of fen
• improved pastures dominate, but significant areas of rough grazing with patches of gorse.

Woodlands

There are no significant woodlands in the LCA; treed areas are located as shelterbelts around some of the farms and one or two of the more substantial houses have small 'parks' around them. Mixed plantings predominate with sycamore, larch, Scots pine, beech and oak included. Small patches of willow and alder carr (wet woodlands) have colonised parts of fens scattered through the LCA. One small area of coniferous wood occurs near Ballybrick.

Grassland and Arable

Grassland occupies some 76% of the LCA, whereas most of this is in improved pastures there are significant areas of rough grassland. On the rocky eastern slopes of Knockiveagh, rough grazing is intermixed with gorse and bracken - an association found in smaller patches wherever there are rock outcrops and steep slopes. Elsewhere, rough grazing is associated with damp hollows and valley floors. Irish Hare, which has been forced out of improved pastures by intensive management, finds refuge in areas of rough pasture.

Heaths and Bogs

There are no remaining lowland bogs in the LCA; all have been cut-over and are now fen or have been reclaimed to pasture. The patches of fen are small, around 4 ha or less, and there are no Priority Species recorded. Most of the fens have been colonised to some extent by willow and alder. Although small, the remaining fens should not be lost to agriculture or building because they do provide some diversity of habitat and species in the LCA.

Wetlands

There are no significant areas of open water. Of the Priority Species, only the otter has been recorded in rivers and streams. Nevertheless, it is important for wildlife that the water quality of streams is maintained in this predominantly agricultural LCA.

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: woodland is extremely scarce, although there are patches of the NI Priority Habitat wet woodlands

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
• enhance the biodiversity value of broadleaved woodlands by discouraging felling; by preventing loss of broadleaved woodlands; by retention of fallen and veteran trees (particularly for bryophytes, ferns, fungi and fauna); by encouraging control of grazing to foster herb layer and regeneration; encourage replanting of canopy species particularly in field corners and areas of poor pasture
• 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: low biodiversity of improved pastures, however there are areas of rough grassland

Actions:

• maintain and improve field boundaries by adopting Countryside Management guidelines, 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
• 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 areas of rough grassland at Knockiveagh
• maintain and enhance damp grassland 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: all lowland bogs in this LCA have been lost to extraction or reclamation for pasture; small patches of NI Priority Habitat fens have now developed

Actions:

• prevent loss of fen through drainage, reclamation, building, land-fill and encroachment by scrub woodland; prevent dumping and fly-tipping and encourage removal of rubbish; divert the inflow of nutrient rich water from agricultural land into fens
• protect the water quality of fens through nutrient management and by reducing suspended sediments; prevent the release of particles released through peat cutting or forestry operations; install sediment traps at large extraction sites
• allow natural colonisation of wetlands by native trees to continue

WETLANDS AND LAKES

Issue: safeguard the quality of rivers and streams for wildlife such as the NI Priority Species otter

Actions:

• promote and encourage existing good farming practices by compliance with Countryside Management guidelines, so that rivers are not polluted by releases from silage effluent, herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers or sheep dip
• monitor streams in relation to peat cutting (sediment load and deposition) - important for salmon that nursery and spawning beds are clear
• monitor streams in relation to expansion of rural/urban housing and associated septic tanks/sewage treatment plants
• recognise that monitoring of streams in relation to forestry and other operations upstream may be important

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