Biodiversity-Strategy-January-2023

48 Lowland Raised Bog Lowland raised bogs occur in low-lying areas, usually in river valleys, old lake basins or between drumlins, and are largely fed by rainfall. The acidic, waterlogged, oxygen- deficient conditions found in bogs, mean only a specialised range of plants and animals can live there. Key plant species typically found are sphagnum mosses, sundews, cranberry, lichens and cotton grasses. Lowland raised bogs also support a distinctive range of animals, including breeding waders, skylark and a variety of invertebrates. From Black Bog Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Fairywater Bogs SAC, Tonnagh Beg Bog and Deroran Bog in the Omagh area, to Tattynamona and Moninea in Fermanagh, we have many protected sites across the Council District. Blanket Bog Blanket bogs are found on higher ground as a layer of peat and vegetation covering the hillsides like a blanket. Within Fermanagh and Omagh, wide expanses of blanket bog are found to the north at Bessy Bell and in the Sperrins, to the west around Lough Bradan, Pigeon Top, Pettigo Plateau, and in the south west at Cuilcagh Mountain. Again, blanket bog often occurs as a mosaic with other habitats, such as heathland, and on lower slopes with purple moorgrass, rush pasture and fens. Important plant and animal species found on blanket bogs include sphagnum mosses, sundew, hare’s tail cotton grass, tall bog-sedge, green hairstreak butterfly, golden plover, skylark and Irish hare. Upland Heathland Upland heathland often forms in a mosaic with other habitats, including blanket bog and acid grasslands. This means that upland heath can be very rich in species diversity. Typical species include bell heather, ling heather, many macro moths, Irish hare, hen harrier, red grouse and skylark, among many others. In the Fermanagh and Omagh area, there are notable populations of hen harrier, red grouse and lower plants, such as mosses and liverworts. The rare argent moth, sable moth and sword grass moth have also been recorded here. The main areas of upland heath are restricted to the upper slopes of Mullaghcarn, Bessy Bell, Glenlark, Brougher Montain, Slieve Beagh, Cuilcagh and Correl Glen NNR within Lough Navar. Grassland and Roadside Verges Grasslands are naturally diverse ecosystems, and many different types of grassland can be found in the District, including lowland meadows, calcareous grassland, coastal and floodplain grazing marsh, lowland dry acid grassland, purple moor-grass, rush pasture and roadside verges. Whilst most of our biodiverse grasslands have been lost to modern farming practices, development etc., a significant proportion of what remains occurs in west Fermanagh and south Tyrone (currently highlighted by an Ulster Wildlife project, ‘Saving our Magnificent Meadows’). Outside of these meadows, roadside verges have inadvertently become a refuge for grassland habitats. Low nutrient levels, minimum disturbance and/or limestone substrates have contributed to their development as a habitat for wildflowers and invertebrates. Lowland Meadow Lowland meadows, or hay meadows, have all but disappeared in Northern Ireland with some remnant fields still found in Fermanagh and a few south of Omagh. These meadows are important habitats for many wildflowers, such 10.0 Appendices © E Denton