Ballinaglera Biodiversity Project
Good Energies AllianceBallinaglera Habitats
Lowland Peatlands
What is?
 Lowland peatlands can include bogs and fens. Much of the uplands of the study area are blanket bogs, but there are also lowland peatlands.  Â
What species can be found?
Bog asphodel, bog myrtle, heathers
Why is important?
Some species of plants and insects are adapted to a waterlogged, acid and low nutrient environment. These can only survive in habitats such as lowland peatlands.
Peatlands help with flood amelioration due their capacity to store water. They are also big carbon stores, which if drained is released into the atmosphere.
Ecological relationships
Wet peatland areas exist due to sphagnum mosses cell structure and growth form and their ability to hold an average of 20 times as much water as their dry weight. They can obtain nutrients in this low nutrient environment by cation exchange. In the process the environment is acidified, make it a place only some plants can grow.
Practices that can harm this environment
Main damage is caused by ongoing drainage, but also dumping of clay, agricultural and builders waste.


Riparian Woodlands
What is?
Riparian woodlands are those found in the bank of bodies of water, such as rivers. This is a semi-natural habitat recognised as an intrinsic element of the Irish landscape.
What species can be found?
Alder, willow, hazel
Why is important?
This habitat naturally stabilises the river bank, slows the flow of water and takes energy from the river. It helps to keep good water quality since it filters silt and nutrients.
Finally, this habitat provides a natural wild corridor for species to connect and for bats and bird to feed.
Ecological relationships
Alder has nodules containing nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Early pollen production of willow catkins essential for Queen bumble bees out of hibernation and species of solitary bees such as Clarke’s mining bee.
Woodland is a natural wild corridor connecting species , providing food for bats and birds.
Practices that can harm this environment
The uncontrolled spread of the invasive species Indian balsam prevents other native species developing on river side and thus influences water quality.
Wet Grassland
What is it?
Wet grasslands are a semi-natural Habitat. It forms in flat or sloped wet ground that has poor drainage, and so it is subject to seasonal floods.
What species?
Sedges, such as oval sedge, marsh bedstraw and common spotted orchid.
Why is important?
A rich number of native flower grassland species indicating a soil biodiversity. This is one of factors that counts for the score cards under agriculture schemes (eg. ACRES CP) that are results based.
Ecological relantionships
The green carpet moth feeds on marsh bedstraw. The presence of yellow rattle, a plant that is a hemiparasite on grasses, promotes the variety of species in sward.
Practices that can harm this environment
Agricultural practices, such as re-seeding and increasing soil nutrient levels reduce variety of the species that grow, and also affects negatively insect populations.
