Lough Foyle Ramsar Site

Area: 2159.62 hectares

Grid Reference: C550230

Date Designated: 02/02/1999

Lough Foyle ramsar site is situated on the north coast of Northern Ireland in County Londonderry, extending north east of the city of Derry. The area of the Ramsar site is2159.62 ha and includes the whole of the Lough Foyle Area of Special Scientifc Interest and the intertidal area of the Magilligan Area of Special Scientific Interest in Lough Foyle extending south of Magilligan Point. The area includes all of Lough Foyle Special Protection Area. The site is comprised of a large shallow sea lough which include the estuaries of the rivers Foyle, Faughan and Roe. The site contains extensive intertidal mudflats and sandflats, and associated brackish ditches

The site qualifies under Criterion 1a of the Ramsar Convention by being a particularly good representative example of a wetland complex including intertidal sand and mudflats with extensive seagrass beds, saltmarsh, estuaries and associated brackish ditches.

The site also qualifies under Criterion 1c by being a particularly good representative example of a wetland, which plays a substantial hydrological, biological and ecological system role in the natural functioning of a major river basin which is located in a trans-border position.

The littoral communities found in Lough Foyle reflect the dominance of intertidal sands and muds. While rocky substrate is very limited, the extensive beds of Common Mussel Mytilus edulis provide a stable surface for Acorn Barnacle Semibalanus balanoides and Edible Periwinkle Littorina littorea. The polychaete Green Leaf Worm Eulalia viridis is a common associate. The soft shores hold a range of invertebrates typical of mud and sand shores, with a number of species, such as the polychaete worm Hediste diversicolor, indicative of reduced salinity conditions. Balls Point has the highest diversity of sediment and community types in Lough Foyle and holds large populations of the bivalves Sand Gaper Mya arenaria and Peppery Furrow Shell Scrobicularia plana.

The extensive mudflats support large beds of both Common Mussel Mytilus edulis and Eelgrass Zostera spp. The latter are amongst the largest colonies of this vegetation type in Northern Ireland and includes two species, Narrow-leaved Eelgrass Zostera angustifolia and Dwarf Eelgrass Z. noltii. Large stands of saltmarsh vegetation occur along the foreshore, displaying a transitional sequence of community types. The lower colonising saltmarsh consists of a community dominated by Common Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia maritima. As tidal influence declines up the shore, this is replaced by a "middle-marsh" community, characterised by Red Fescue Festuca rubra and Mud Rush Juncus gerardii. Localised stands of Sea Club-rush Schoenoplectus maritimus and Common Reed Phragmites australis also occur. The uppermost saltmarsh features a community dominated by Common Couch Elytrigia repens. Just west of the Ballykelly Bank, on the large intertidal mudflats which form part of a larger creek network, the lower saltmarsh communities are replaced by extensive stands of Common Cord-grass Spartina anglica. Brackish dykes behind the shore support a maritime aquatic and swamp vegetation, including the Reflexed Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia distans and Spiral Tasselweed Ruppia cirrhosa.

The site qualifies under Criterion 2a because it supports an appreciable assemblage of rare, vulnerable or endangered species or sub-species of plant and animal. A range of notable fish species have been recorded for the Lough Foyle estuary and the lower reaches of some of its tributary rivers. These include Allis Shad Alosa alosa, Twaite Shad Alosa fallax fallax, Smelt Osmerus eperlanus and Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus, all of which are Irish Red Data Book species. In addition, important populations of Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar migrate through the system to and from their spawning grounds.

The site qualifies under Criterion 3a of the Directive by supporting over 20,000 waterfowl. Peak numbers averaged over 36,599 birds in the five years between 1991/92 and 1995/96.

The site qualifies under Criterion 3b by regularly supporting substantial numbers of individuals from particular groups of waterfowl which are indicative of wetland values, productivity and diversity. These include internationally important populations of Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus, Light-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla hrota and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica (see below). Additional wildfowl species which are nationally important in an All-Ireland context are Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata (an average of 27 birds, 2.7% of the all-Ireland wintering population), Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus (220, 7.3%), Mute Swan Cygnus olor (97, 1.8%), Bewick's Swan C. columbianus (78, 3.1%), Greylag Geese Anser anser (67, 1.7%), Shelduck Tadorna tadorna (287, 4.1%), Teal Anas crecca (751, 1.2%), Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (1694, 3.4%), Wigeon Anas penelope (8107, 6.5%), Eider Somateria mollissima (50, 2.5%) and Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator (73, 3.7%). Nationally important wader species are Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus (2045, 4.1%), Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria (4999, 2.5%), Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola (43, 1.1%), Lapwing Vanellus vanellus (3084, 1.2%), Knot Calidris canutus (412, 1.1%), Dunlin Calidris alpina (4847, 3.9%), Curlew Numenius arquata (2152, 2.5%), Redshank Tringa totanus (791, 3.2%) and Greenshank T. nebularia (30, 3.3%). In recent years a notable wintering population of Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus has been observed in Lough Foyle (a peak of 103 birds was recorded in 1995/6 which comprises 2.1% of the international population).

The site qualifies under Criterion 3c by regularly supporting internationally important numbers of Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus (the five year peak mean for the period 1991/92 to 1995/96 was 890, which comprises 5.6% of the international population), Light-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla hrota (the five year peak mean for the period 1991/92 to 1995/96 was 3730 which comprises 18.7% of the international population) and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica (the five year peak mean for the period 1991/92 to 1995/96 was 1896 which comprises 1.6% of the international population).