Biodiversity Oasis in Limerick

from IMQS Annual Review 2021

Blast from the Past

by Eve Howard, Environmental Manager, Irish Cement Limerick

AN ABUNDANCE OF NATURE

Since the winter of 2020, a panel of expert biologists and ecologists have been undertaking detailed biodiversity surveys and habitat mapping on the Irish Cement site in Limerick. To their amazement they have discovered a rich variety of habitats, wildlife and plants living close to this industrial site, something they did not expect when they were first contracted to carry out this survey work. Their work will continue for the remainder of 2021 and their findings and guidance will be used to help draft a Biodiversity Strategy for the site.

The survey work started last winter with an assessment of wintering wildfowl using the man-made lakes and Irish Cement lands. Among the ducks and geese were flocks of Whooper Swans. The Whooper Swan is a winter visitor to Ireland from Western Iceland where they breed during the summer. The 8th International Swan Census completed during January 2020 recorded 19,111 Whooper Swans throughout Ireland. Some of these Whooper Swans over-winter along the Shannon Estuary with approximately 200 spending their time on the Irish Cement farmland in Cooperhill. For the swans the location is ideal with undisturbed feeding and roosting on the lush pastureland protected by waterfilled drainage ditches and streams. To understand the migration patterns and behaviours ornithologists from the UK, Iceland and Ireland have for many years been putting easily identifiable leg rings on some of these swans. The data from field observations of these ringed swans has revealed that they travel to the same areas each winter with one swan which wintered in Cooperhill estimated to have flown over 50,000 kilometres from Iceland to Ireland over a 15-year period. The swans remained on the Irish Cement land until mid-April when they departed on their northward journey to Iceland once more. Spring saw the return of summer migrants and the start of breeding season for resident birds. A wide variety of bird species have been recorded breeding on the site from Peregrine Falcons and Sand Martins in the quarry to ducks and water birds on the lakes. There are woodland and grassland species and even Ringed Plover, which normally nests on shingle beaches, recorded nesting on the quarry floor. Some have been easy to spot and identify and some are much more elusive with only fleeting glimpses of Barn Owls for example and the occasional bright blue flash of the Kingfishers as they dart across Bunlicky Lake. Over 80 species of birds have been recorded on site since last December. What has been most pleasing to us in Limerick is the range of large mammals

Young hare sitting among the wildflowers in Irish Cement Limerick. Photo credit Sheena Jolley

we have living quietly on the site. Foxes, badgers, hares, stoats, pine martens, and otters have all been recorded and photographed on site. For many of the team, some of whom have worked on site for decades, the population of otters living in Bunlicky is the greatest source of pride as it is a sign of good water quality and healthy fish stocks. During the summer months the wildflower meadows have attracted a multitude of pollinators, from bumblebees, native honeybees, hover flies and butterflies. The botanists have identified 7 species of orchid on the site. The site operates 24 hours per day and so too does the wildlife with both Barn Owls and Long-eared Owls detected on site. Bat surveys recorded three species of bats; Lesser horseshoe, Pipistrelle and Leisler’s Bats feeding on site, with further work needed to identify likely roost sites. A number of trail cameras were positioned at key locations on site, and they have been recording some of the night-time activity. The cameras are triggered by movement and have taken still images or short video clips of the otters, foxes and badgers. RICH AND VARIED HABITATS

The reason why the site has such a rich biodiversity is the wide range of different habitats and the fact that despite the site being an active industrial site some areas remain largely undisturbed. In some of the inactive or older areas of the quarry rich vegetation has returned and especially where there is standing water a wide range of insects and birds can be seen. Particularly common this year is the spectacular Emperor Dragonfly, first recorded in Ireland in 2000, it is Ireland’s largest dragonfly and lives close to quiet areas of water. The females deposit their eggs onto vegetation beneath the water surface. Once hatched the young dragonfly are voracious underwater predators. Only when they become adults do they emerge from the water and take to the wing for a life in the air hunting flying insects above the lake surface. In addition to the quarries and lakes, there are reedbeds, marsh lands, both calcareous (because of the limestone) and wet grasslands, petrifying springs (an unusual habitat formed when calciumrich water deposits a soft, porous rock known as ‘tufa’ on the ground), scrub vegetation, hedgerows and mature woodland. This rich mosaic of different habitats supports the wide diversity of plants and animals that are being catalogued by the experienced biologists. WORKING IN HARMONY

Many of these habitats have regenerated by themselves over the years. Irish Cement has stepped back and let nature get on with it, the popular phase today is ‘re-wilding’. Bunlicky Lake is a good example, from a man-made lake resulting from the extraction of alluvial mud for the process 40 years ago to the population of otters today, nature finds a way to thrive. Irish Cement has also lent a helping hand, nearly 100,000 trees have been planted on site over the years. More recently the management of grassland has resulted in rich wildflower meadows which provides food for pollinators and in turn many bird species that feed on these insects. Sand Martin colonies have been protected; quarry blasts are scheduled to avoid disturbing the cliff nesting Peregrines. The workforce too takes great pride in the abundance of nature on the site and has developed the practice of circling large rocks to protect ground nesting birds from quarry machinery. Our goal is to recognise these practices and develop a long-term Biodiversity Strategy that builds on the current survey work and expert guidance. The strategy will ensure we prioritise biodiversity on site and help us to operate our cement factory in harmony with the natural environment. Irish Cement is proud of the rich biodiversity we have on site. We feel a responsibility to protect what already exists and enhance opportunities for wildlife to flourish. We would also like to find ways to celebrate and share this rich biodiversity with a wider audience.