Six Mile Water Guardians scoop Biodiversity Awards
Six Mile Water Guardians scooped two Biodiversity Awards in Ireland
The project was initiated by Antrim Borough Council with the aim to conserve the Six Mile Water River Corridor for future generations. It won 'Biodiversity Project of the Year' at the annual Sustainable Ireland Energy, Environment and Waste Management Awards and the first-ever Biodiversity Award at the 2008 SuperValu Best Kept Awards organised by the Northern Ireland Amenity Council.
Rivers and Streams were identified as being important habitats in the Borough of Antrim, and it was a project along the Six Mile Water, a river that runs through Antrim town, from the Antrim Hills to Lough Neagh that helped Antrim Borough Council win these top accolades.
The Six Mile Water Guardians were launched in October 2007 as a result of interest from local people in the biodiversity, water quality and recreation value of their local river. Local people wanted to actively help maintain and enhance their local river habitat. The Council recognised the important role that local site, for wildlife and people.
The Guardians project gets local people involved and interested in their natural environment and in the wildlife that shares the Six Mile Water. It also gives people of all ages the opportunity to be physically active.
The project includes:
- Six Mile Water Guardians training programme
- Six Mile Water Wildlife Recording Card
- A Conservation Management Plan
- Annual Bat Waterway Survey
- Annual Waterway Breeding Bird Survey
There are around 40 volunteers registered at last count as Guardians. They assisted in the development of the conservation management plan that considers recreational use that does not compromise the local biodiversity interest and that biodiversity is conserved and where possible enhanced.
For example, the Guardians built bird and bat boxes for the Mill Race Trail on the Six Mile Water last February. These boxes have been erected around the site, creating new homes for these species. An annual bat survey will monitor Daubentons bat, also known as the water bat.
The invasive species on the Mill Race Trail site are also being mapped, monitored and controlled. The most significant species are Japanese knotweed and Giant Hogweed. Some of these species have the ability to dramatically decrease the biodiversity interest, whilst others pose a Health and Safety risk.
The project impressed the judges because it is the result of interest from local people who wanted to actively help maintain and enhance their river habitat, and it has given people of all ages an opportunity to be physically active by providing a regular programme of events, surveys and outdoor activities.
For further information on the project, which was supported by BBC Breathing Places through the Big Lottery Fund, please contact Ruth Wilson, Biodiversity Officer, Antrim Borough Council Tel: 028 9446 3113 ext 1371 email:ruth.wilson@antrim.gov.uk