KerryLIFE Sustainable land use management for the conservation of freshwater pearl mussel

Transcription

1 KerryLIFE Sustainable land use management for the conservation of freshwater pearl mussel Richard O Callaghan, Paul Phelan, Nuala McDaid, Padraig Cronin and Karen O Neill 3 rd May 2016 Pearls in Peril Conference, Braemar Estate, Scotland

2 Overview KerryLIFE aims and objectives Project area Current status of population and habitat Farming and forestry Measures Monitoring and research Community outreach

3 Aims and Objectives KerryLIFE aims to address Demonstrate effective conservation measures Demonstrate sustainable land management Enhance awareness Produce guidance for farming and forest land users

4 Project area Co. Kerry N2K sites IE IE Article 17 Report NPWS 2013

5 Conservation condition of pearl mussel population Criterion Target Caragh Numbers of live adults Numbers of dead shells Mussel shell length 65 mm Mussel shell length 20 mm No recent decline <1 % of population 20% of population 5 % of population Pass Kerry Blackwater Pass Article 17 Report NPWS 2013; Statutory Instrument No. 296 of 2009

6 Conservation condition of pearl mussel habitat Criterion Target Caragh Filamentous algae Macrophytes Siltation Phytobenthos (diatoms) Absent or trace (<5 %) Absent or trace (<5 %) No artificially elevated levels Kerry Blackwater Pass EQR Article 17 Report NPWS 2013; Statutory Instrument No. 296 of 2009

7 Targeted farm land and forest Farms Total: 288 KLP: 50 Farm land Total: 18,500 ha KLP: 5,250 ha Forestry Total: 2,859 ha KLP: 515 ha

8 Farm measures Manage drains at 1,000 locations Cease maintenance Install buffers Block of high risk drains Create side ponds Stabilise riparian sediments Establish new broadleaf woodland Enhance existing broadleaf woodland

9 Farm measures Sediment measures Result based payment for reduction of sediment mobilisation in critical source and transport areas Enhanced livestock management Relocation of high-risk gates, farm tracks & feed stations Provision of alternative drinking facilities

10 Farm measures Nutrient management Nutrient management targeting green-land in receipt of organic and chemical fertilisers Measures include Split applications Late application No/Low P chemical fertilisers Stock reductions

11 Forest measures Development of forest management plans Development of an integrated source and pathway risk assessment for forestry Forest trials Restructuring commercial conifers to long-term retention woodland for protection of waters Halo-thinning Re-seeding trials Firebreak management

12 Expected result for pearl mussel Overall the project s concrete conservation action are expected to deliver an improvement across 20% of freshwater pearl mussel habitat in the Caragh and Blackwater Rivers, and an improvement in juvenile recruitment across 5% of the occupied pearl mussel habitat.

13 Monitoring and research Criterion Target Mussel population # live adults No recent decline [<5 %] # dead shells < 1% population Shell-length 65 mm Shell-length 30 mm At least 20 % population At least 5 % population Mussel habitat quality assessment Element Objective Macroinvertebrates EQR 0.90 Filamentous algae Absent or Trace (<5%) Diatoms EQR 0.93 Macrophytes Absent or Trace (<5%) Sediment flux/ fingerprinting, flow and water analysis Siltation No artificially elevated levels Understanding of sediment yields across an Irish land use gradient

14 Sediment fingerprinting Sediment Sources Sediment Pathways Sediment Receptor

15 Monitoring and research Sediment fingerprinting Natural characteristics of soil and sediments Distinct fingerprint for each potential source area Samples from impacted area can be un-mixed to estimate contributions for each source area Geochemistry Source 1 fingerprint 30% Radionuclides Magnetics Isotopes Source 2 fingerprint 5% Source 3 fingerprint 20% Erosion Un-mixing & transport Sediment sink fingerprint (mixture of sources) Colour Source 4 fingerprint 45%

16 Community outreach Walking routes Consumer supplier network

17 Community outreach Sustainable farm-produce brand trial On-farm tourism infrastructure

18 Acknowledgements Many thanks to Evelyn Moorkens, Ian Killeen and Áine O Connor Thank You richard.ocallaghan@ahg.gov.ie