WWF & Heritage Lottery FundQUESTOR Centre, QUB

IntroductionRiver Basin DistrictsLough NeaghBallinderry River &

Management AreaRIPPLE

What is it?AimsOutcomesDissemination

River Basin Districts in IrelandNeagh-Bann RBD is an International RBD

8 River Basin Districts (RBD)in the whole of Ireland

N Ireland has 4 RBD: North-Eastern (light blue) North-Western (dark

blue) Neagh-Bann RBD (yellow) Shannon (purple - v small

portion in N Ireland)

Lough Neagh• Largest lake in

Ireland & Britain (300km2)

• 6 major rivers flow into the Lough

• 1 river flows out• Neagh-Bann

catchment area

Lough Neagh

•River Bann carries water from North end of Lough Neagh to the sea, on the North coast of Ireland•Rivers flowing into Lough Neagh drain ~38% of N Ireland•Excess nutrients (Phosphorus) & pollution incidents impact water quality of water around and in the Lough

Lough Neagh

Environmental designations (RAMSAR, Area of Special Scientific Interest, 8 Nature Reserves)

Present industrial pressures: Fishing, Agriculture, Peat Extraction, Sand extraction, Water extraction, Tourism and Recreation

Lough Neagh Management Strategy - Integrated management & sustainable development of activities taking place on water, around the shores and within the wetland

West Lough Neagh ShoresA relatively flat, low-

lying, expansive landscape

Shallow drumlins (long rounded hills or mounds common in Ireland) surrounded by flat, open pastures

BallinderryBallinderry is a small town on

the Western shores of Lough Neagh, in Cookstown District Council

Ballinderry River flows into Lough Neagh at Ballinderry regarded by anglers as one of

the best rivers for trout in the North, and is also good for salmon

canoeing is popular along the river

Ballinderry Management AreaCovers an area of 487km2; population ~33,000Main land area is improved grassland (49%)Drains into Lough Neagh7 Areas of Special Scientific InterestDesignated as Salmonid under Freshwater Fish

Directive – high water quality targets to protect & conserve the fish (salmon, trout)

Freshwater Pearl populationDesignated as ‘sensitive’ under Urban

Wastewater Treatment Directive: due to nutrients, esp phosphorus

Ballinderry situation88% of rivers in the Ballinderry Management

Area currently do not meet the European water quality standards set in the WFD less than good status

High level of nutrient enrichment within the catchment – mainly from agriculture

21% of river water bodies in area affected by morphological changes

Ballinderry River classified as ‘Heavily Modified’ - for flood risk management

NIEA River Basin Management Plan12% of river bodies in the Ballinderry

Management Area with good status in 2008Propose to achieve good status in 44% of river

bodies by 201596% at good status by 2021

How?Reduce numbers of benthic invertebratesReduce pressures affecting water quality:

impact from farming and other pollution sources

Public Consultation – draft RBMPConcern that the NIEA demonstrated no clear

route to meet EU water quality targets by 2015The Fresh Water Task Force called for concrete

steps to achieve improvement and a greater level of public engagement

Identified need for a more focused public participation in WFD River Basin Management Planning

Set-up of the RIPPLE project, by WWF and Ballinderry Fish Hatchery

RIPPLERivers Involving People, Places and Leading by

Example (RIPPLE)Demonstrates how community planning and

effective public engagement can bring benefit to the river environment

Funded for 3 years by WWF Freshwater programme and Heritage Lottery Fund

RIPPLE Advisory CommitteeLinking the community with the decision makersCookstown District CouncilCWSANCNCCDARD – Countryside

Management BranchDARD - Rivers AgencyDCAL - Inland FisheriesDoE - Planning ServiceNIEA – Catchment Planning

Group

NIEA – Catchment OfficerNIEA – Conservation,

Designation and ProtectionNIEA – Water ManagementUnitLNLB Advisory GroupNI WaterRural Community Network

Aims of RIPPLEAims to ‘celebrate the

beauty and history of the Ballinderry River’

To provide economic benefits to the local community

To encourage involvement of the local community, to protect and conserve the river

Public EngagementPublic engagement through partnership with other

groups, such as the Rural Community Network

Differences in approach:NI Environment Agency“You are invited to a meeting to discuss restoration of

the Ballinderry River”Rural Community Network (RCN)“You are invited to come along to a local event where

you can share your memories of the Ballinderry River”

Public Engagement (2)Huge response to the RCN invitation1 event run 12 times – at 12 different

locations300 local people participatedSharing memoriesDiscussing how the river and public use of it

has changedDiscussing how to bring use of the river back

to how it used to beAction plans

Outcome of processDiscovered how each stakeholder values the

Ballinderry RiverCreated a vision for the river

Better accessBetter understanding of the river environmentA cleaner riverMore wildlife

Devised a strategy to achieve the vision

RIPPLE Action PlanA community-driven and sustainable Action

Plan115 actions identified

timeline for deliveryEach action has been adopted by a member

of the community: a RIPPLE Champion, who is helped by other community volunteers to develop and implement the action

Examples of the ActionsVision 1: Better access to the river

Produce a scoping report & map to outline new access opportunities

Increase interest in angling along the riverVision 2: For more people & businesses to

understand the water cycle, from tap to river, and how they have an impactTraining days for the local community (public)

to raise awareness of pollutionSchools adopting river-based projects

Examples of the Actions (2)Vision 3: Less pollution & less litter in the Ballinderry

river & its tributariesIncrease the use of water-friendly household productsAwards for improved environmental performance

(industry) and awards ceremonyVision 4: See wildlife corridors where there are

healthy habitats & better protection for plants & animalsTo successfully introduce juvenile mussels to the riverTo collate information on wildlife and habitats in and

around river

DisseminationProject website

Links to events scheduled on and around riverEnvironmental news – specific to the

BallinderryQuarterly newslettersA point of contact where people can ‘register

interest’ in the project and pledge to help out Booklet “Visions for the Ballinderry”

Reflects the views of the community living in the Ballinderry river catchment

Finally….

Invitation extended to ENWAMA partners to attend an official event for RIPPLE – November/ December 2009

Thank you!