Lower River Shannon SAC (site code 2165) Conservation objectives supporting document -coastal habitats NPWS Version 1 May 2012 Table of Contents Page No. 1 Introduction 4 2 Conservation objectives 8 3 Perennial vegetation of stony banks 8 3.1 Overall objective 8 3.2 Area 8 3.2.1 Habitat extent 8 3.3 Range 9 3.3.1 Habitat distribution 9 3.4 Structure and Functions 9 3.4.1 Functionality and sediment supply 9 3.4.2 Vegetation structure: zonation 9 3.4.3 Vegetation composition: typical species & sub-communities 10 3.4.4 Vegetation composition: negative indicator species 11 4 Saltmarsh habitats 11 4.1 Overall objectives 15 4.2 Area 15 4.2.1 Habitat extent 15 4.3 Range 18 4.3.1 Habitat distribution 18 4.4 Structure and Functions 18 4.4.1 Physical structure: sediment supply 18 4.4.2 Physical structure: creeks and pans 19 4.4.3 Physical structure: flooding regime 19 4.4.4 Vegetation structure: zonation 20 4.4.5 Vegetation structure: vegetation height 21 4.4.6 Vegetation structure: vegetation cover 21 4.4.7 Vegetation composition: typical species & sub-communities 22 4.4.8 Vegetation composition: negative indicator species 23 5 Vegetated sea cliffs 24 5.1 Overall objective 25 5.2 Area 25 5.2.1 Habitat extent 25 5.3 Range 26 5.3.1 Habitat distribution 26 5.4 Structure and Functions 26 5.4.1 Functionality and hydrological regime 27 5.4.2 Vegetation structure: zonation 27 2 5.4.3 Vegetation structure: vegetation height 28 5.4.4 Vegetation composition: typical species and sub & communities 28 5.4.5 Vegetation composition: negative indicator species 30 5.4.6 Vegetation composition: bracken and woody species 30 6 References 31 Appendix I: Distribution map of known shingle sites within Lower River 32 Shannon SAC Appendix II: Distribution map of saltmarsh habitats within Lower River 33 Shannon SAC Appendix III: Carrigafoyle site report and habitat map from the Saltmarsh 34 Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix IV Barrigone site report and habitat map from the Saltmarsh 48 Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix V Beagh site report and habitat map from the Saltmarsh 64 Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix VI Bunratty site report and habitat map from the Saltmarsh 75 Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix VII Shepperton, Fergus Estuary site report and habitat map from 91 the Saltmarsh Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix VIII Inishdea, Owenshere site report and habitat map from the 105 Saltmarsh Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix IX Killadysart, Inishcorker site report and habitat map from the 124 Saltmarsh Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix X Knock site report and habitat map from the Saltmarsh 138 Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix XI Querin site report and habitat map from the Saltmarsh 150 Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix XII Rinnevilla Bay site report and habitat map from the Saltmarsh 162 Monitoring Project (McCorry & Ryle, 2009) Appendix XIII Distribution map of vegetated sea cliffs within Lower River 176 Shannon SAC Please note that the opinions expressed in the site reports from the Saltmarsh Monitoring Project are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of NPWS. Please note that this document should be read in conjunction with the following report: NPWS (2012). Conservation Objectives: Lower River Shannon SAC 002165. Version 1.0. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. 3 1 Introduction Achieving Favourable Conservation Status (FCS) is the overall objective to be reached for all Annex I habitat types and Annex II species of European Community interest listed in the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC (Commission of the European Communities, 2007). It is defined in positive terms, such that a habitat type or species must be prospering and have good prospects of continuing to do so. The Lower River Shannon is a large site that stretches along the Shannon valley from Killaloe to Loop Head/ Kerry Head, a distance of 120km. The site encompasses the Shannon, Feale, Mulkear and Fergus Estuaries, the freshwater lower reaches of the River Shannon (between Killaloe and Limerick), the freshwater stretches of much of the Feale and Mulkear catchments and the marine area between Loop Head and Kerry Head. The geology of the site varies considerably. The Shannon and the Fergus flow through Carboniferous limestone as far as Foynes, but west of Foynes Namurian shales and flagstones predominate (except at Kerry Head, which is formed from Old Red Sandstone). The eastern sections of the Feale catchment flow through Namurian Rocks and the western stretches through Carboniferous limestone. The Mulkear River itself, immediately north of Pallas Green, passes through an area of rhyolites, tuffs and agglomerates. Rivers within the sub-catchment of the Feale include the Galey, Smerlagh, Oolagh, Allaughaun, Owveg, Clydagh, Caher, Brenagh and Glenacarney. Rivers within the sub-catchment of the Mulkear include the Killeenagarriff, Annagh, Newport, the Dead River, the Bilboa, Glashacloonaraveela, Gortnageragh and Cahernahallia. The Shannon and the Fergus Estuaries form the largest estuarine complex in Ireland. They form a unit stretching from the upper tidal limits of the Shannon and Fergus Rivers to the mouth of the Shannon Estuary (considered a line across the narrow strait between Kilcredaun Point and Kilconly Point). Within this main unit there are several tributaries with their own ‘sub- estuaries’, e,g. Deal River, Mulkear River and Maigue River. To the west of Foynes, a number of small estuaries form indentations in the predominantly hard coastline, namely Poulsherry Bay, Ballylongford Bay, Clonderalaw Bay and the Feale or Casheen River Estuary. Lower River Shannon SAC (site code: 2165) is designated for a range of coastal habitats including vegetated shingle, saltmarsh and sea cliff. The following five coastal habitats are included in the list of qualifying interests for the site: • Perennial vegetation of stony banks (1220) • Salicornia and other annuals colonising mud and sand (1310) • Atlantic salt meadows (Glauco-Puccinellietalia maritimae) (1330) • Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetaliea maritimi) (1410) • Vegetated sea cliffs of the Atlantic and Baltic Coasts (1230) 4 The first habitat represents vegetated shingle, the next three are saltmarsh habitats and the last is sea cliffs. The first four of these habitats are usually found in close association with each other. A further three habitats were also recorded within the Lower Shannon SAC by the Coastal Monitoring Project (CMP) (Ryle et al., 2009): • Embryonic shifting dunes (2110) • Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria (white dunes) (2120) • Fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes) (2130) These habitats were recorded at Beal Point and Ballybunnion sub-sites (Ryle et al., 2009) This backing document sets out the conservation objectives for the five coastal habitats listed above in Lower River Shannon SAC, which are defined by a list of parameters, attributes and targets. The main parameters are (a) Range (b) Area and (c) Structure and Functions, the latter of which is broken down into a number of attributes, including physical structure, vegetation structure and vegetation composition. The targets set for the shingle are based in part on the findings of the National Shingle Beach Survey (NSBS), which was carried out in 1999 on behalf of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) (Moore & Wilson, 1999). The NSBS visited the following nine sub-sites within Lower River Shannon SAC: 1. Ross Bay (County Clare) 2. Kilbaha Bay (County Clare) 3. Cloonconeen Lough and Rinevella Bay (County Clare) 4. Carrigaholt Bay (County Clare) 5. Ballymacrinan Bay (County Clare) 6. Bunaclugga Bay (County Kerry) 7. Corcas and sandhills (County Kerry) 8. Bromore (County Kerry) 9. Ballybunnion (County Kerry) The distribution of these sub-sites is presented in Appendix I. Profiles and transects were recorded from each shingle beach and each site was assigned a High/Medium/Low interest ranking. A ‘high interest’ ranking denotes a site that is of high conservation value. The site may be of interest botanically or geomorphologically. A ‘medium interest’ ranking implies the site may be extensive but not of particular interest either botanically or geomorphologically. A ‘low interest’ ranking is reserved for small sites, highly damaged sites or sites that are of a very common classification. At Lower River Shannon SAC, the Ross Bay, Cloonconeen Lough and Rinnevilla Bay and Bunaclugga Bay sub-sites are rated ‘high interest’. 5 The vegetated shingle habitat at Ross Bay is of high interest owing to large deposits of smooth rounded limestone that are associated with reed (Phragmites sp.) beds and a large bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) population. In the Cloonconeen Lough and Rinevella Bay sub-site, a cobble barrier separates the lagoon from an intertidal peat based drowned forest and intertidal shingle. The shingle vegetation includes yellow horned-poppy (Glaucium flavum) which with the unusual lagoonal system, make this site of high interest. The yellow horned-poppy is a short lived perennial herb of shingle banks and stone beaches. This species is confined to coasts and has limited distribution along the west coast but is more frequent on the east and south coasts. The sub-site at Bunaclugga Bay in County Kerry is a small vegetated shingle bar with a population of yellow horned-poppy. The Carrigaholt Bay sub-site is rate of ‘medium interest’ as it supports an interesting flora, although it is a relatively small shingle deposit. The rest of the sub-stes consist of small unvegetated fringing deposits that are rated of ‘low interest’. The vegetated shingle habitat was not mapped at any of the sub-sites, but the vegetation was recorded, as were the human impacts and alterations at the site, which are useful tools for assessing the Structure and Functions of the site.