Protected Areas
Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
In 2000, the upper part of Ballinderry River, from near its source at Camlough to the Glanavon Weir at Cookstown, was recommended to the European Commission as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC), because it supports a number of the rare or threatened species and habitats listed in Annexes I and II of The European Commission Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (92/43/EEC), more commonly referred to as ‘The Habitats Directive’.
The designated area, known as The Upper Ballinderry River SAC, was fully adopted in 2005 because it is one of only a few rivers in Northern Ireland that still holds a population of the globally endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, as well as substantial otter Lutra lutra numbers and beds of water-crowfoot Ranunculus ssp.
Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI)
In 2000, the upper part of Ballinderry River, from near its source at Camlough to the Glanavon Weir at Cookstown, was declared, by the Department of the Environment’s Environment and Heritage Service (now the Northern Ireland Environment Agency) as an Area of Special Scientific Interest, under Article 14 of the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.
In addition to the European priority habitat and species listed in the SAC designation, the river supports other, Northern Irish priority species including Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes, river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis, brook lamprey Lampetra planeri, as well as rare physiogeographical features and a variety of terrestrial habitats, which are all afforded special protection status by the ASSI designation.
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Part of the upper river catchment area is recognised for its high scenic value and falls within the boundary of the Sperrin Mountains Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
RAMSAR
The lower part of the Ballinderry River, from the village of Coagh to Lough Neagh, falls within an area known as the Lough Neagh Wetlands, which is designated as a RAMSAR site, recognised as an internationally important area for migratory wildfowl.
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