wetlands and Education
Billy Flynn
Irish Wildlife Trust
County Monaghan
A lakeland county
Other wetlands present in the county:
rivers, canals, wet grassland, reed and large sedge swamps, freshwater marsh, wet heath, rich fens, wet woodland, bog
woodland
MONAGHAN WETLAND SURVEY (2006) MONAGHAN FEN SURVEY (2007)
A FEW WETLAND SITES OF INTEREST IN MONAGHAN
The Ballybay Wetlands Centre
Unique Education facility
• c. 1km from Ballybay, co. monaghan
• internationally important site for whooper swan
• open year-round
Wetlands as an educational venue
• range of habitat types
• adaptations, life-forms
• Physicochemical attributes & parameters
opportunity to see ‘unfamiliar’ area
environmental principles
• water cycle
• nutrient management
• flood management
• water purification
provides excellent examples of need for conservation
• habitat management
• pollution control
• landscape
• aesthetic values
opportunity to address negative connotations of wetlands
Remove some of the poorer associations
the ‘weeds...’ etc
reinforce value of areas for wider group
they aren’t wastelands - in any sense
shared usage is essential
• increased use of outdoor spaces
• walking, angling, canoeing, cycling, kayaking...
• ensure that these are encouraged
Make the practical value of our wetlands obvious and clear
some other current wetland projects in Monaghan
• Ulster Canal: lough Erne to Clones
• Dartrey forest walking and cycling project
• lough Muckno sports and recreational project
• Ulster Canal Greenway
Ulster canal reopening
• Phase I: Lough Erne to Clones
• restoring c. 13km of navigation
• some ecological impacts
• linking and restoring habitats
• providing access
Dartrey Forest
• Walking and cycling routes c. 10km within Coillte lands adjacent Dromore lakes
Lough Muckno
• sports and recreational Project within pNHA
• allows very highest level angling events
• creates access for multiple users
Ulster Canal Greenway
• c.8km of combined footpath and cycleway
• low-footprint construction intended
• biodiversity awareness ‘written-in’
new ways of experiencing wetlands
new opportunities for education and awareness
Wetlands and Education
Billy Flynn
Irish Wildlife Trust
THANK YOU