Members of the public are being urged to join a consultation webinar on Lough Neagh next Tuesday (July 30) at 7:00p.m.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from four experts who will discuss landscape acquisition and management.
As well as this, experts will discuss the development of a new Lough Neagh Heritage Resilience Plan and the various environmental and conservation challenges surrounding the lough together with examples of techniques that could help address these issues.
Speakers include:
- Dr. Liam Campbell of the Lough Neagh Landscape Partnership project;
- Senior lecturer from the school of law at Queen’s University Belfast, Dr Peter Doran;
- Expert in modern land reform in Scotland, Dr. Alastair McIntosh;
- Specialist in on-farm carbon auditing and providing conservation/wildlife advice, Dr Michael Meharg.
The NI Executive recently approved the 37-point Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan as the first step of the journey towards the long-term rehabilitation of water quality in the lough.
Lough Neagh Partnership Heritage Plan coordinator, Michael Browne, said: “Lough Neagh is a mirror reflecting both beauty and challenges and together we can protect it, so we are inviting anyone with an interest in Lough Neagh to attend this webinar and contribute to the sustainable stewardship of Lough Neagh.
“We are actively seeking engagement from the public in attending as it is anticipated that the information gathered from the webinar, responses received to the questionnaire and the insights gleaned at stakeholder meetings, will shape the heritage needs of Lough Neagh.”
Consultation
The insights from the consultation process will form the basis for the creation of the 10-year resilience plan for the lough and will also identify potential avenues for funding and establish new sustainable management structures to ensure the enduring vitality of Lough Neagh.
Northern Ireland’s Farming Minister, Andrew Muir said he had a “very constructive” meeting with the owner of Lough Neagh, the Earl of Shaftsbury, last week (Wednesday, July 17).
The Earl of Shaftsbury’s, or Nick Ashley-Cooper’s, family has owned the rights to the bed of Lough Neagh dating back to the 17th century.
Minister Muir said he and Ashely-Cooper were in “mutual agreement in desire to secure community ownership of the lough”.
However, Muir said the “right structures” must be in place involving relevant groups.
After the formulation of the draft 10 Year Heritage Resilience Plan, a forthcoming conference is scheduled to gather insights from stakeholders, governmental bodies, as well as representatives from the local and wider communities.
It is anticipated that the conference will be scheduled for the spring of 2025. The project’s anticipated completion date is November 2025.
Registration for the upcoming webinar can be done via the Lough Neagh Partnership website.
