The Rural Area Partnership in Derry (RAPID) will tomorrow officially launch the Enagh Lough biodiversity project at the City of Derry Rugby Club.
From left, Xavier Jeanne (landscape architect, Derry City Council) and Jonathan McCartney (rural development officer, RAPID) Jonathan Henderson, Derry City Council project officer and Cllr Hugh Hastings at Enagh Lough.
The project has overseen a £50,000 investment in the Lough, which includes the installation of bat and bird boxes, treatment of Japanese knotweed and the installation of an access path to Enagh Lough eastern for enhanced interpretation and learning of a natural heritage asset, based only two minutes drive from the city.
Derry Mayor Cllr Martin Reilly welcomed the investment, stating it was “good news” for the area.
Mayor Reilly said: “Enagh Lough is steeped in a rich history, having previously being the site of a crannog and an O’Cahan castle.”
The Mayor concluded: “The area is rich in biodiversity, with the lake and surrounding woodland providing a home for the endangered red squirrel, pipistrelle bat and brown trout species and this investment in both is great news for the area and the people who use this area.”
RAPID partnered with Strathfoyle Community Association and Derry City Council to complete the project, as they all believed the area was under utilised as a biodiversity resource and appropriate biodiversity improvement works were required to be undertaken to so that the quality of the natural environmental was not diminished.
Therefore, RAPID sought funding from BIFFA Award to undertake biodiversity enhancement works in the area.
Continuing the Mayor said: “This initiative is a great example of a number of agencies working well together for the good of the area with mutual benefits to the natural wildlife and resources. We are delighted to support RAPID and the Community association involved and to see oversee this access and biodiversity project.”
Enagh Lough is part of the wider Faughan Valley heritage trail, which encompasses key sites of natural and built heritage significance in the Faughan Valley region of Derry City Council.
The Faughan Valley heritage trail is part of the wider Faughan Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme (FVLPS), an ongoing partnership project between RAPID, Derry City Council and the Woodland Trust.
In addition through DARD, RAPID are currently delivering a Rural Community Development Support Service (RCDSS), which in conjunction with the FVLPS will see £2.6 million invested in the rural area by 2016.
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