Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland, is the heart of a vast interconnected aquatic ecosystem, from its surrounding catchment area to the rivers which flow into it and flow out to the north coast.
In recent years, that heart has been under increasing pressure and, in 2023, an unprecedented blue-green algal bloom appeared, causing immense public interest and which was visible from space.
In this video, we meet Ciara Laverty and Peter Kearns of Lough Neagh Partnership who talk about their work in protecting the habitat as Lough Neagh Rangers.
Ciara talks about the importance of the biodiversity of Lough Neagh and its shoreline. She discusses the importance of Lough Neagh Partnership’s monitoring work and the protection of the habitat that nests in the reeds and on the peatlands.
Peter talks about scrub clearance and the seasonal removal of invasive species in the wet woodland.
He also emphasises the importance of surveying the species that choose to make Lough Neagh their home.
The views and opinions on the subject of this video are that of the contributors.
