FEBRUARY 2011

Discovery Day for World Wetlands Day

Derry City Council is organising a Lough Foyle Discovery Day on Saturday 5th February to celebrate World Wetlands Day. This will be an opportunity to take a cruise of Lough Foyle and discover winter wildlife in the area. This event is perfect for families, nature enthusiasts and anyone wanting to experience the Foyle from a different perspective.

Lough Foyle is a site of international importance. It is designated as a Special Protection Area for wild birds and is classified as a Ramsar site, as it is a good representative example of a wetland.

Lough Foyle is the second largest area of intertidal mudflats, sandflats, seagrass beds and saltmarsh habitat in the North. These ranges of coastal habitats support a diverse assemblage of water birds, including a fifth of the internationally important Canadian Brent Goose population, which flock back each year to feast on the saltmarsh grasses of Lough Foyle.

Christine Doherty - Derry City Council's Biodiversity Officer explained "World Wetlands Day is the celebration of wetlands of international importance. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran in February 1971. To mark the 40th Anniversary of the designation of Wetlands of International Importance, why not come along a d discover Lough Foyle and the beautiful scenery."

Colin Graham, Membership Development, RSPB, added, "We are delighted to be involved with The World Wetlands Day. It gives us the perfect opportunity to highlight not only the natural beauty of the Lough Foyle area but its international importance as a site for over-wintering waterfowl as well as key species such as lapwing and curlew."

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