CONCERNS over the pressure of forestry and farming activities on the catchment of Lough Graney in North East Clare have prompted its selection for an EU-funded project. 

The Lough Graney catchment, which is made up of eight water bodies, is to benefit, alongside five other catchments nationally, from inclusion in the Waters of LIFE project. The scheme was launched last week in Kilmallock, County Limerick, by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan. 

Managed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the strategic project involves 16 partners including government departments, State agencies, local authorities, and local development companies, with an overall budget of €20 million.  

The aim of the project, which will run until 2028, is to reverse the long-term trend of decline in Ireland’s “high status” waters. High status rivers are those considered to be in pristine condition and rich in biodiversity and Ireland is one of a small number of EU member states that still has a number of high status water bodies.

However, the number of remaining high-status sites has declined from 31.5% (1987-1990) to 19.9% (2017-2020), representing an almost 37% decline in number according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

According to Waters of LIFE project data, there is significant pressures on the catchment of Lough Graney. Of the eight water bodies in the catchment, only three have a high-status objective and just one of those is currently meeting its objective. The other two have fallen to good status and are considered to be failing to meet their objective under the River Basin Management Plan.

“The significant pressures in the catchment are forestry and agriculture,” documentation on the Waters of LIFE project outlines. The Lough Graney catchment was chosen in consultation with Coillte and the Forest Service “as there is likely to be significant forestry activity in the area during the life of the project”.

The inclusion of this catchment in the EU project “will allow appropriate management strategies for high status areas to be developed”.

The project documentation notes the prevalence of blanket bog in this catchment. These peatlands help regulate climate, control and purify water flows as well as supporting terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. The project documents note that, “protection and in some instances, restoration is required to maintain the quality of these services”.

The other five catchments included in this prestigious scheme are: The Shournagh and the Awbeg, in County Cork; The Island River in the Galway/Roscommon area; The Avonmore in County Wicklow and The Sheen, in County Kerry which is to act as a control river for the strategic project

The total budget under this LIFE Integrated project is €20,369,805 of which €9,500,000 has been committed by the EU. The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action.

Since its creation in 1992, it has co-financed some 5000 projects across the EU, with a total contribution of approximately €6.5 billion for the protection of the environment and climate action. These programmes are typically run by government agencies such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, local authorities, with involvement of community groups, third level institutions, and private companies. 

Key objectives of the Waters of LIFE strategic project up to 2028 will be include increasing understanding of the causes of status change in these types of rivers, which can be sensitive to even minor land management changes within a catchment.

The scheme will also work to enhance public awareness of the ecology, ecosystems and natural capital of high-status waters and their catchments. Locally tailored solutions will be developed in consultation with local landowners and communities. This will include development of a results-based agricultural payments scheme, which will be implemented in three of the six catchments.

Recommendations will also be made to inform the development of future agri-environment and forestry policies and provide for the long-term sustainable management of high-status catchments. The project will include a demonstration project to develop, test, and validate integrated catchment management measures to halt and reverse the declining number of high status water bodies.