Nature reserves in Northern Ireland

Last updated

Nature reserves in Northern Ireland, are designated [1] and maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Contents

There are 47 national nature reserves in Northern Ireland.

County Antrim

County Armagh

County Down

County Fermanagh

County Londonderry

County Tyrone

See also

Related Research Articles

Strangford Lough

Strangford Lough is a large sea loch or inlet in County Down, in the east of Northern Ireland. It is the largest inlet in the British Isles, covering 150 km2 (58 sq mi). The lough is almost totally enclosed by the Ards Peninsula and is linked to the Irish Sea by a long narrow channel at its southeastern edge. The main body of the lough has at least seventy islands along with many islets (pladdies), bays, coves, headlands and mudflats. Strangford Lough was designated as Northern Ireland's first Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) under the introduction of the Marine Act 2013. It has also been designated a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive, and its abundant wildlife is recognised internationally for its importance.

County Cavan County in Ireland

County Cavan is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (Bréifne). Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county, which had a population of 76,176 at the 2016 census.

Devenish Island

Devenish or Devinish is an island in Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Aligned roughly north–south, it is about one and a quarter miles long and two-thirds of a mile wide. The main place to catch a ferry to the island is at Trory Point, just outside Enniskillen. Devenish Island is owned by the Kilravock Christian Trust.

Lough Allen

Lough Allen is a lake on the River Shannon in northeastern Connacht, Ireland. Most of the lake is in County Leitrim, with a smaller part in County Roscommon. The lake lies to the south of the River Shannon's source, near the Iron Mountains, and is the uppermost of the three main lakes on the river. The other two, Lough Ree and Lough Derg are much further to the south.

Derrygonnelly Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Derrygonnelly is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Near Lower Lough Erne, the village was home to 680 people and dates to the Plantation era. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

Strangford Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Strangford is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. It has a population of 475 according to the 2001 Census.

The Crom Estate is a nature reserve located in the south of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, along the shores of Upper Lough Erne. It is one of three estates owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, the others being Florence Court and Castle Coole mansions. The estate comprises 1,350 acres (5.5 km2), composed primarily of riparian forest. Some trees are so ancient that physical access is restricted.

White Island, County Fermanagh

White Island is an island in Lower Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated in Castle Archdale Bay off the east shore of Lower Lough Erne. The ruins of an ancient church are found near the shore, built on the site of an earlier monastic settlement. It still has an intact arched Romanesque doorway. The Church and carved figures are State Care Historic Monuments sited in the townland of White Island, in Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area, at grid ref: H1753 6000. The rath, earthwork, and area surrounding the state care monument are Scheduled Historic Monuments, at grid ref: H1753 6000. The island is accessed by ferry from the marina in Castle Archdale Country Park, near Irvinestown. Location: Open Street Map Reference

Portmore Lough

Portmore Lough is a small lake in southwest County Antrim, Northern Ireland that drains water into nearby Lough Neagh. It is roughly circular and covers an area of 286 hectares. The Lough and its shoreland is designated a Ramsar site, a Special Protection Area (SPA) and an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). The lough is now part of a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve.

Lough Beg

Lough Beg is a small freshwater lake north of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. The lake is located on the border between County Londonderry and County Antrim. The Lower Bann flows into it from Lough Neagh at the southern end and continues on its route to the sea from the northern end. Church Island which is on the lake was the site of a pre-Viking monastery and during the summer it is normally reachable by foot. Due to the area's many rare plants and it being a stopping point for migrating birds the area was protected as the Lough Beg National Nature Reserve.

The Cladagh River or Swanlinbar River is a moderately large river which forms from a number of small streams rising in Commas (Kinawley) townland on the south-eastern slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, County Cavan and flows through the village of Swanlinbar, before crossing the border into County Fermanagh and eventually flowing into Upper Lough Erne. It is ultra-oligotrophic upstream before gradually becoming oligotrophic and oligo-mesotrophic through its middle and lower reaches.

Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark Lies on the Fermanagh-Cavan border, Ireland

The Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is centred on the Marble Arch Caves and in 2001 it became one of the first geoparks to be designated in Europe.

Ariundle Oakwood

Ariundle Oakwood is situated to the north of the village of Strontian in the Sunart area of the Highlands of Scotland. It is located on the western side of the glen of the Strontian River, to the south of former lead mining sites that lie further up this glen. The wood is part of the ancient Sunart Oakwood, and is a remnant of ancient oakwoods that once spanned the Atlantic coasts of Europe from Norway to Portugal. It was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 1977, and is managed primarily by NatureScot, in conjunction with Forestry and Land Scotland, who own the land surrounding the National Nature Reserve. The reserve is classified as a Category IV protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and also forms part of both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.

Lough Scur

Lough Scur is a freshwater lake in south County Leitrim, northwest Ireland. It is part of the Shannon–Erne Waterway. There have been Human settlements here since the New Stone Age. Modern features include quays and moorings. Protected features are Castle John, three Crannogs, and the causeway into Rusheen Island, though "Jail Island" is not protected. The ecology of Lough Scur, and indeed all county Leitrim lakes, is threatened by pollution and invasive species such as curly waterweed, zebra mussel, and freshwater clam.

Glen Nant Woodland and nature reserve in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Glen Nant is glen lying to the south of Taynuilt in the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. An area of woodland of 339 hectares on the western side of the River Nant is designated as national nature reserve (NNR), which is owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). It is an example of an Atlantic Oakwood, and is one of largest areas of upland oak woodland in north Argyll.

References

  1. "Nature Reserves". NI Environment Agency. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2009.