Celebration of Aliens on the Lough Project

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, in partnership with Lough Erne Landscape Partnership, is marking the end of the Aliens on the Lough Project with the launch of a ‘Guide to Invasive Species’ video.

An invasive alien species (IAS) is categorised as any non-native animal or plant which can spread and cause damage to local biodiversity, the economy and health.  The Council’s Invasive Species project, which was supported by the Lough Erne Landscape Partnership through funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, achieved a number of successes since it started in 2019 including the delivery of Lantra accredited training on Invasive Species to over 50 people, awareness raising and engagement to over 500 people, production of over 17,000 Invasive species guides which are distributed at events and workshops and direct control of Invasive Species at 8 sites in the Lough Erne area.

Speaking about the Project, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly said:

“Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to tackling the issue of Invasive Species as part of the Fermanagh and Omagh Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.  Although this project draws to a close, work will continue to be undertaken to address the ongoing threat of invasive species to our native biodiversity.

It is important that we all take steps to protect, enhance and restore biodiversity as it is fundamental to both planet and people.  Through projects such as Aliens on the Lough we can continue to raise awareness and knowledge to achieve this.”

LELP Programme Manager Elmarie Swanepoel stated:

“We wish to congratulate Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on the completion of a highly successful project. This project highlighted the significant risk posed by invasive species, both on land and in water, affecting the Lough Erne landscape and the waters of the Erne system.

It is important to educate people about the risks of invasive species on the local habitats and species, and we will continue to work with local landowners, statutory organisations and voluntary organisations which seek to promote biodiversity to promote a multi-organisational, landscape scale management approach”.

Dr Paul Mullan, Northern Ireland Director, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:

“We know that nature is incredibly important to National Lottery players, and the funding for this project as part of the Lough Erne Landscape Partnerships means that they can play their part in preserving Lough Erne’s natural heritage. It’s wonderful to see such useful resources that are crucial to ensuring our natural heritage is safeguarded for generations to come.”

The new ‘Invasive Species Guide’ video which explains how to identify key terrestrial Invasive Species such as Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed and provides signposts to further information on what to do if anyone identifies Invasive Species on their land.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, using the legacy of the partnership project with LELP, will continue to lead on the identification and control of key Invasive Species on Council Estate, sharing information on Invasive Species to communities and the public and exploring opportunities to tackle Invasive Species throughout the District.

For more information on Invasive Species and to view the video, visit www.fermanaghomagh.com or to report the location of an Invasive Species, visit the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording website at  https://www2.habitas.org.uk/records/ISI.  Information on Invasive Species can also be found at www.invasivespeciesni.co.uk/.