Lough Carra conservation plan is a grassroots project

By Tom Gillespie

“THE Lough Carra LIFE Project is an example of how organised local communities can take action on environmental issues and achieve environmental conservation successes at a grass roots level.” These were the words of Minister of State Malcolm Noonan in May of 2023 when he formally launched the Lough Carra LIFE Project, a five-year project aiming to improve the water quality and ecosystem resilience of Lough Carra.

Lough Carra, a small lake to the south of Castlebar, is well-known to generations of visitors for its trout fishing and its idyllic surroundings, with turquoise clear waters and white marl crusts covering the rocks on its lake floor and shore.

It is approximately six miles long and varies in width from 400 yards to one mile and the average depth is six feet.

But Lough Carra is particularly special amongst these lakes. It sits on an area of limestone, full of caves and underground streams, feeding the lake with both surface water and ground water.

Over thousands of years Lough Carra has developed into a marl lake habitat, characteristically low in nutrients, allowing cyanobacteria to slowly build the white marl crusts on rock surfaces throughout the lake.

These marl lakes are rare in worldwide terms, and Lough Carra is one of the most pristine examples of a marl lake in Europe. The lake has been designated by the European Commission as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and a Special Protected Area (SPA).

Its surroundings host a multitude of other rare habitats, including limestone pavements, fens, and orchid rich grasslands, providing homes to a wide range of species including rare orchids, otters, lesser horseshoe bats and dozens of bird species.

From a natural habitat and wildlife point of view this is an important place, but the lake is also a key life support system for the people who live in the area.

Mr. Kieran Flynn, project manager of the Lough Carra LIFE Project, has given an update on the progress of the project.

He said: “Lough Carra is a direct drinking water source for hundreds of homes in the catchment, through the local group water scheme. It also flows directly into Lough Mask, which is the main drinking water source for thousands of homes throughout Mayo.

“The health of this lake is not just important for the wildlife who live around it, it is also essential for the people who live in the catchment, and in the broader Mayo area.

“It has been well documented that our waterways nationwide are deteriorating, with recent news stories about the condition of Lough Neagh bringing further focus to this.

“This is resulting from the pressures of intensive modern land management, specifically the increased levels of nutrient run-off from agricultural land, and the ongoing conversion of semi-natural habitats, such as areas of scrub, woodlands and wildflower meadows, into grasslands for livestock.”

Kieran continued: “Though the area around Lough Carra is not particularly intensively farmed in comparison to other areas of the country, Lough Carra is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of modern land management. Recent years have seen a continuous decline of the water quality of the lake, with the water becoming increasingly discoloured and cloudy.

“There have been significant declines in the characteristic aquatic vegetation and disintegration of the marl crusts, while nutrient-sensitive aquatic invertebrates, such as the mayfly, and brown trout populations have plummeted.

“In 2018 concerned locals formed the Lough Carra Catchment Association, aiming to restore and protect the lake, and in 2021 they secured funding from the European Commission for the Lough Carra LIFE Project.”

The project, he said, will work closely with farmers, landowners and community groups in the catchment area to implement a comprehensive programme of actions to halt the deterioration of the lake and restore the quality of the water and the surrounding habitats.

It is jointly funded by the European Commission LIFE Programme and the project funding partners, Mayo County Council, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, National Parks and Wildlife Services, Geological Survey Ireland, Coillte and the Lough Carra Catchment Association.

In addition to the funding partners, a long list of other associated partners are providing essential guidance and support to the project.

Kieran added: “The project team and offices were established in the latter part of 2022, and 2023 was the first year of real progress on project actions.

“Working with Geological Survey Ireland, the project commenced a groundwater study of the Lough Carra catchment, helping to understand better the connections between groundwater and surface water in the catchment, and so targeting project actions more effectively.

“A pilot Results Based Agri-environment Payments Scheme was developed in collaboration with local farmers to address some of the issues relating to agriculture. More than 30 farms took part in the scheme in 2023, and plans are in place to expand the scheme for 2024.

“Biodiversity management plans and habitat enhancement plans for key species have been developed throughout the catchment area, and controls on invasive species have been implemented.

“A comprehensive programme of lake monitoring has been designed and implemented, helping to further build understanding of what is happening to the lake and implement suitable measures accordingly.”

The project also began a campaign of knowledge exchange, public outreach and awareness, including a project website, social media accounts, public information boards, booklets, public meetings, workshops and an educational programme, all of which will be further developed into 2024.

Kieran concluded: “At the end of the project an AfterLIFE Plan will be produced outlining how the actions initiated by the project can be continued in the long-term, and how the outcomes can be made permanent after the project has finished.

“The Lough Carra LIFE Project acts as a model of how local communities can build partnerships with key stakeholders and drive real action to protect and restore areas like Lough Carra.”

Further information about the project can be found at https://www.loughcarralife.ie/.