IRD Duhallow EIP Projects Newsletter - Summer 2022

Exercising Is More Than Burning Calories

Project Background

#The Duhallow Blue Dot EIP Project is a five-year project (2019-2023) that aims to protect, restore, and enhance the quality of freshwater in the Allow River catchment. The project seeks to engage with farmers and the community in a novel, innovative approach to protect and restore the ecological status of the Rivers Allow, Dalua & Owenanare through a costeffective results-based payments scheme. Funding is also available to farmers for additional proposed works, with examples of these including biodiversity ponds, liming, multi-species swards, settlement ponds, and farm roadway upgrades. At present the project is at full capacity with 100 participating farmers. The Owentaraglin River EIP Project is a one-year project that commenced in January and aims to maintain and enhance the good ecological status of the river known locally as the Araglen or Airglinn. Measures implemented are similar to those of the Blue Dot project, tailored to suit the powerful, meandering nature of the Owentaraglin. There are currently 22 farmers participating in the project.

Project Update

The 2022 field surveying for both projects is now complete, with a wide variety of measures having been implemented by farmers in the projects so far. The 100 active farmers enrolled in the Blue Dot EIP are projected to receive a total of €188,000 by year end. The total farmer payments for the Owentaraglin River EIP are expected to be €98,000. These payments are a combination of results-based payments, mainly based on habitat quality, and for the implementation of additional proposed works.

**Blue Dot farmer Seán Duggan with his new beehives, which were funded by the project.**

Highlights

Some of the measures funded so far by the project include the creation/retention of 9 biodiversity ponds and wetlands, and the planting of over 2,300 native trees. Over 4km of new watercourse fencing has been installed, with farmers also receiving payments for the retention and maintenance of 37km of existing watercourse fencing. 3.5km of riverbank has been protected through the establishment of various types of grass buffers and the planting of riverbanks with willow (Sallys). These buffers also serve to reduce levels of nutrient run-off entering waterways. To further manage nutrient levels in the catchment, 46 farms have received payments for the use of Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment, which reduces levels of nutrient run-off entering watercourses, and ensures higher amount of nutrients from the slurry are directed to assist with grass growth. Approximately 50 acres of multi-species swards have been sowed on project farms this year alone with more on the way in September; these reduce the amount of fertiliser input and benefit soil health and pollinators.

**Water bar and sediment pond funded under the Blue Dot Project**

Farmer Training Event held in April

A training event was held in April with 70 farmers in attendance. As well as providing updates on the projects, this event included a number of workshops and guest speakers, covering topics including reducing chemical fertiliser input, soil biological activity, water quality in the catchment, project scorecards and results-based payments.

Farmer Training in April

Presentations and Farm Walks The project team have made a number of recent presentations about the project to various organisations. In April, Michael Morrissey and Mike O’Connor presented the project to the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), and in July presented the project to the Illaun Farm Forest Alliance EIP located in Co. Clare, this EIP seeks to enhance landscape connectivity by working with landowners to plant biodiversity corridors of native woodland. The project received a visit from the Waters of LIFE IP project team earlier this year. The objective of this major EU-funded project is to use an integrated catchment management approach to implement measures that will help to protect and enhance high-status waters. Their project team were accompanied by two EU LIFE auditors and were interested in seeing the effectiveness of the measures already in place in the catchment. Three demonstration farms were visited, and some of the measures viewed on the day are likely to be included in the Waters of LIFE project measures.

**James navigating through vegetation to take a water sample!**

Student Placements

This summer the project has hosted three student ecologists for work placement. Leah joined us from UCC for the month of June, James joined us from UCD for July and August, and Aisling Natoff returned for her second summer on placement at IRD Duhallow. Aisling has since started her masters in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in UCD; we wish her the best of luck!

BT Young Scientist

The project is assisting two students from Coláiste Treasa Kanturk with their entry to the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. The project is examining the biodiversity of farmland ponds, using abundances of aquatic vegetation and water beetles as biodiversity indicators, while factoring in environmental variables such as area, depth, and nutrient levels of the ponds.