LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature

Action Site

Habitat Type

Location

Cuilcagh-Anierin, Ireland

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The Cuilcagh-Anierin Uplands Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is a blanket bog site covering 9,735 hectares (ha), comprising 11 habitats and 7 species protected under the Habitats and Birds Directives. The site is part of the EU INTERREG Collaborative Action for the Natura Network (CANN) project, a wetlands conservation project being delivered by partners in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland.

Erosion, peat-cutting, burning, invasive conifer encroachment and unmanaged recreation are the primary threats to the site. Restoration actions are being driven through a results-based agri-environment payment scheme (RBPS) whereby farmers receive funding in exchange for improving habitat quality and biodiversity.

The RBPS programme is delivered through the Common Agricultural Policy by locally-based ACRES CP teams. WaterLANDS is assisting farmers undertake restoration measures to improve their RBPS payments. The focus is on integrated land use for the delivery of enhanced ecosystem services including water quality, climate regulation and biodiversity.

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    LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature

    Gary.Goggins@housing.gov.ie
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    Guaduneth is the Action Site Coordinator for the WaterLANDS Horizon 2020 project. His main responsibility is to work closely with local communities, landowners and others to support peatland restoration at Cuilcagh-Anierin SAC. He previously worked as researcher and lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, leading a global assessment of degradation of blanket bogs. Guaduneth holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences, a MSc in Climate change and geographic information, and a BSc in Geography. His main research is focused on mapping and assessing blanket bogs globally and creating international collaborative networks to better understand peatland environments. He is currently assessing carbon content, carbon accumulation, erosion rates and hydrological patterns across 27 study sites in Europe, Canada and the Falkland Islands.

    guaduneth.chicoleon@npws.gov.ie