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Co-operation Across Borders for Biodiversity (CABB)

Joining forces in partnership and reaching across borders, the CABB project has restored over 3,000ha of blanket bog, safeguarded almost 900 pairs of breeding wading birds, and managed more than 170ha of land for butterflies.

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Overview

Peatlands, wet grasslands and machair provide vital homes for a range of wildlife, including curlews, lapwings, hen harriers and marsh fritillary butterflies. Many of these habitats are under threat from drainage, inappropriate grazing, lack of management and climate change.

CABB was a €4.9m five-year partnership project working in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Scotland. It was funded by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme. managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). RSPB NI led the CABB project, joining forces with RSPB Scotland, Birdwatch Ireland, Butterfly Conservation, Moors for the Future and Northern Ireland Water. 

Between 2017 and 2022 CABB partners engaged with farmers, landowners, statutory agencies and other key organisations to improve habitats at some of our most precious wetland sites. These sites, which are designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), will be protected for the future by eight new Conservation Action Plans (CAPs) produced by CABB. 

CABB delivered habitat management work at key sites including, blocking drains and introducing grazing regimes to improve the condition of blanket bogs, introducing predator fences on machair, and managing rush on lowland wet grassland. CABB also consolidated the sea wall at Loch Gruinart, on the island of Islay, to safeguard this special habitat for breeding waders and wintering wildfowl.  

Objectives

  • Improve habitats for breeding waders such as curlews, lapwings, redshanks and snipe, as well as for hen harriers and marsh fritillary butterflies. 
  • Work towards the restoration of 2,228 hectares (ha) of blanket bog across Northern Ireland, Scotland and Ireland. 
  • Work closely with landowners and farmers to map habitats and to prepare eight Conservation Action Plans (CAPs) for EU-designated SACs and SPAs.
  • Raise awareness in local communities of the environmental, cultural and historic importance of blanket bogs and key wetland habitats. 
  • Share experiences, best practice and data. 

Highlights

  • 894 pairs of endangered breeding waders have been safeguarded through habitat management at key nesting sites.
  • 3,006 ha of peatland is now in recovering condition. Healthy peatland stores and captures carbon, improves water quality and mitigates climate change.
  • 4.5 million tonnes of carbon are now locked away on CABB sites, preventing an estimated 54,000 tonnes of emissions each year.
  • 38,028 hectares of habitat will be protected through the implementation of CABB Conservation Action Plans
CABB Video

Achievements

  • CABB delivered important habitat improvements at key wetland sites, including conservation grazing; new fencing, along with repairs to existing fencing; rush cutting; and removal of scrub and rank vegetation. 
  • Butterfly Conservation led a dedicated programme to help the marsh fritillary butterfly. They identified existing and potential breeding sites and worked closely with landowners to sensitively manage habitat. Successive teams of volunteers were trained in the identification of larval webs and breeding sites.  
  • Large scale peatland restoration works were carried out at the Garron Plateau SAC, Co Antrim; at Shiel Farm and at Tardoes Farm in East Ayrshire, and at Fiddandarry within the Ox Mountains SAC in Co Sligo. Extensive drain-blocking to rewet these bogs has delivered over 3000 hectares of peatland in recovering condition.  
  • RSPB Scotland consolidated the 200-year-old Loch Gruinart sea wall on the island of Islay, thus conserving the SPA behind the wall which is an important wet grassland habitat for breeding waders and for overwintering barnacle and white-fronted geese.   
  • Targeted Conservation Action Plans (CAPs) are now in place for eight key EU designated SACs and SPAs. CAPs were informed by detailed habitat and LiDAR mapping of CABB the following sites: The Garron Plateau SAC; Pettigoe Plateau SPA; Montiaghs Moss SAC; Dunragh Loughs/ Pettigo Plateau SAC; Meentygrannagh Bog SAC; Lough Nillan Bog (Carrickatlieve) SAC; Croaghonagh Bog SAC and Muirkirk & North Lowther Uplands (SPA). Northern Ireland Environment Agency, National Parks & Wildlife Service and Nature Scot will use these CAPs to steer ongoing habitat management. 
  • Surveys on all CABB sites have made available valuable, up to date records on vegetation distribution and species. BirdWatch Ireland carried out breeding wader surveys across 20 key coastal and machair sites in counties Donegal and Sligo. These are collated in a new study called “Breeding Wader Populations in Northwest Ireland 2017 - 2021”.
  • CABB project officers continued to learn from each other, share-best practice and collaborate with similar conservation projects. Highlights include our 2019 CABB Board Meeting and field trip to Muirkirk, East Ayrshire, and participation at the IUCN Peatlands Conferences in 2018, 2019 and 2020.  

Community Engagement

CABB was tasked with raising public awareness about peatlands, and involving the wider community in our conservation efforts. To achieve this, we:

  • hosted regular outreach events for landowners, statutory agency officers and residents.  
  • published biannual CABB newsletters; special educational leaflets on the marsh fritillary (Butterfly Conservation) and on the restoration of blanket bog (NI Water); and made several short films showcasing CABB conservation work. 
  • appeared on prime-time radio and television, including features on the ‘Chronicles of Erne’ show (BBC NI) and ‘Lough Neagh’ (UTV).   
  • added a new boardwalk, car park and engaging interpretive panels at Montiaghs Moss SAC, significantly enhancing public access to the reserve.  
  • engaged volunteers in all aspects of our work, from surveys, scrub removal and fence repairs in the field, to finance, media and administration in the office.  

Legacy

The partnerships and energy generated during CABB, along with our tangible achievements, will continue to deliver for habitats and species well into the future. The CABB Board, comprised of our partners and statutory agencies, will: 

  • Capitalise on the established synergy between partners to develop and deliver new projects and programmes 
  • Showcase the results of CABB trials and surveys to influence the delivery of future habitat and species management. 
  • Support the implementation of CABB’s Conservation Action Plans to improve the conservation status of each site.
  • Use CABB detailed habitat mapping on over 9,000 ha as a baseline to work towards delivering protected sites in better condition.
  • Highlight the findings of the ‘Valuing our Peatlands’ report to continue to influence future climate change policy. This study, while not carried out by CABB, evidences the financial and climate change benefits of peatland restoration.
  • Continue to work with private landowners, volunteers and statutory agencies to manage and showcase our best sites. 

Partners

The CABB project was a partnership between the six organisations. Please visit these partner websites to find out more about their specific actions for CABB.

Funding

CABB was supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding for the project was provided by Scottish Mines Restoration Ltd., the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in Ireland, Bannister Charitable Trust and RSPB.

Videos

Montiaghs Moss – managed for marsh fritillary
CABB Garron Plateau Bog Restoration

Further reading

To follow the project from inception to completion, please explore our CABB newsletters:

For more information contact

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