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. Agriculture, 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 will be developed through the Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE IP, with a view to implementing similar approaches across broad areas of Ireland and the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It will focus on a catchment level approach to include 2500ha of the SAC and a similar-sized area that is non-designated. The focus is on integrated land use for the delivery of enhanced ecosystem services including water flows, carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.
