Wetlands in County Clare
A story map about wetland habitats in County Clare
County Clare has a rich diversity of habitats and species ranging from the Burren landscape in the north, to the Shannon Estuary in the south, to Lough Derg in the east, to our rugged coastline in the west. This varied landscape serves as a lifeline for biodiversity with over 70% of Ireland's native species of flora found in the Burren alone.
While the karst area of the Burren is arguably the most well known landscape associated with County Clare, it is the wetland habitats in the county that provide a wealth of ecosystem functions and services. The original area of wetland habitats in County Clare is believed to have been 27% of the county, but is now less than that due to changes in land management. Wetland habitats within the county serve as an important wildlife refuge for our flora and fauna and also provide an important resource which protects our local communities.
But what are wetland habitats and why are they important?
What is a wetland?
Put simply, a wetland is a wet place!
The term wetlands refers to a variety of different habitats, with one thing in common - the fact that they are covered by water, or that the soil is saturated, either on an ongoing basis or seasonally. Wetlands can be natural or artificial. Clare is host to a vast range of wetland types ranging from fens, peatlands (raised and blanket bogs), turloughs, freshwater lakes, reservoirs, ponds, swamps and marshes, saltmarshes, wet grasslands, wet woodlands, lagoons, estuaries, rivers and floodplains.
Wetlands occur on every continent of the world. Although wetland habitats are widespread, they only cover 6% of the Earth's surface. The Ramsar Convention provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Why are wetlands important?
Wetlands are important because they provide us with a range of ecosystem services
Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans get from healthy ecosystems
Some of the ecosystem services provided by wetlands in County Clare include clean water, protection from flooding, biodiversity, educational and research opportunities, food, medicines, building materials, employment, clean air, and carbon storage.
Many ecosystem services are things that we tend to take for granted, however are essential to our survival.
Healthy ecosystems provide these services for free and despite their importance they are typically not fully appreciated or valued. However the cost of restoring damaged wetlands to continue to provide ecosystem services (e.g. rewetting peatlands for rare habitats and carbon storage), or the cost of replacing an ecosystem service artificially is often significant.
Some examples of these ecosystem services are......
Biodiversity
Although they only cover a small area of the Earth's surface, it is believed that 40% of the world's species either live in or are reliant on wetland habitats.
The species that live in wetlands in Clare are often specifically adapted to living in wet conditions and are not found in other habitats. This means that if wetland habitats decline (for example draining wetlands resulting in water loss), then these species decline too.
Some species spend all of their lives in wetlands (e.g. frogs), while others might just visit wetlands for certain amounts of time (e.g. bats). Wetlands can play a really important role in certain parts of the life cycle of different species. For example, peatlands and damp grassland are important for the life cycle of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, while many geese and and swans such as Barnacle Goose and Whooper Swan spend the winter feeding on freshwater lakes, floodplains, and estuaries in Ireland before migrating north to return to their breeding grounds in Iceland and Greenland to spend the summer months.
Wetlands are actually unsung heroes. They nurture young fish, provide refuge to birds, bats, bugs, and sometimes big mammals
Carbon storage
Wetlands are also recognised as very important carbon stores. A carbon store essentially locks carbon into the soil and stops it from escaping to the atmosphere which could otherwise heat up our planet. Wetlands are very good at keeping carbon within the soil and act like a band aid to stop carbon escaping. The wet conditions in wetland habitats are typically low in oxygen and this slows down the decay of dead organic material. This slow decomposition results in carbon storage. In fact, wetlands have been called the "most effective carbon sinks on earth."
In particular, peatlands (including raised bogs and blanket bogs) and seagrass beds are known to store very high amounts of carbon. Peatlands are estimated to cover approximately 3% of the Earth's surface, but store about 30% of all land - based carbon. While we often think of forests as being significant carbon stores, peatlands store twice the amount of carbon of all the world's forests combined. The wetlands in Clare are very important carbon stores and, in some places in the county, wetlands have been rewetted.
Flood and storm protection
Wetland habitats are often transitional between land and water and so can play an important role in flood regulation and coastal protection.
Habitats that occur along river channels such as reedbeds and floodplains play a very important role in absorbing water. In times of heavy rain fall they can store this excess water like a sponge and then slowly release the stored water during drier times, to ensure a steady flow of water in the river. Unfortunately many of our floodplains and river side habitats have been altered and so this natural flood protection has been lost.
Along our coasts salt marsh habitats act as natural coastal defences to protect from storm surges. The salt marsh reduces the intensity of waves and storm surges, helping to protect against storm damage and flooding.
Clean Water
Wetlands are natural water filters which help to purify water by removing sediment, excess nutrients, and other pollutants.
As water typically moves slowly through wetlands and there are a diversity of plants typically present, there is plenty of time and opportunity for water purification processes to occur.
Many pollutants are "locked up" in the sediments, soils, and vegetation of wetlands. The tissues of some floating plants, including Duckweed, are even able to store heavy metals.
Culture
Wetlands are an important part of our cultural heritage and feature in our poetry, songs, and artworks and so are an important part of our culture. Two famous Irish legends, the Children of Lir and the Salmon of Knowledge, both feature wetlands.
The Children of Lir
The Salmon of Knowledge
Recreation and Amenity
Wetlands provide places for humans to visit and enjoy. They have both a recreational value and an inspirational value.
There is growing evidence that spending time in nature can help to reduce stress and improve overall health and well-being. It is important to respect our wetlands and wildlife when we visit them.
Education and Research
Wetlands provide many opportunities for education and research. Many scientists carry out research in wetland habitats, some recent research areas include anthropogenic impacts, carbon sequestration, the use of remote sensing technology, hydrology, and flood protection.
In addition to scientific research, research can also inform artistic projects. Visiting and learning about wetland habitats can form the basis of artworks which help to bring an understanding of these habitats to the wider public. Recently, the Limerick School of Art and Design visited Shanakyle Bog in 2023 to inspire artworks for an exhibition entitled "The Land is Soft".
Intrinsic value
In addition to these ecosystem services wetlands hold value in that they are part of our landscape and our native biodiversity.
They are of value simply because they exist as part of our natural world.
Surviving in a wetland
A wetland can be quite a challenging place for plants to live. Apart from being able to cope with very wet conditions, wetland plants also often have to cope with low oxygen and nutrient levels.
Wetland plants are adapted to cope with wet, oxygen poor and nutrient poor environments
Water lilies have waxy leaves which repel water - this means that they receive more sunlight than they would if they were submerged underwater which helps them to photosynthesise
Bulrushes grow tall above the water surface to access oxygen in the air. They also have open spaces in their leaves called Aerenchyma which allows this oxygen from the air to move through the leaves and shoots all the way down to the underwater roots and rhizomes
Other plants have lots of thin narrow leaves to increase the surface area for oxygen uptake such as Water Starwort or Fool's Watercress
In nutrient poor environments, for example bogs, some plants have adapted to be carnivorous, catching and consuming insects for nutrients.
The sundew uses it's glistening red tentacles to attract insects, which are trapped as soon as they make contact with a tentacle. The plant then secrets digestive enzymes to digest their prey.
Sphagnum mosses are able to absorb up to twenty times their own weight in water helping it not only to survive in wetland habitats, but also during periods of drought.
As it is so absorbent, Sphagnum moss was used as bandages during war times to soak up blood and for its antiseptic properties.
Sphagnum moss often grows in dense colonies which creates microhabitats for tiny plants and animals
Sphagnum moss is known as the bog builder as decaying layers of Sphagnum moss form peat
What kind of wetlands occur in Clare?
County Clare has a diversity of both inland and coastal wetland habitats. Clare is bordered by wetlands on all sides, with the Shannon Estuary occurring to the south, Lough Derg to the East, Galway Bay to the north, and the Atlantic coastline to the west.
Over 800 wetland sites have been recorded throughout the county and together account for a significant proportion of the total land area of the county. Approximately one quarter of the wetland sites in County Clare occur within sites that are designated for nature conservation (e.g. Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, and Natural Heritage Areas).
Over 800 wetland sites have been identified in county Clare through desktop survey
Turloughs
Turloughs are virtually unique to Ireland and Clare contains some of the best examples of turloughs in Ireland.
Turloughs are temporary lakes, sometimes known as vanishing lakes. The Irish for turlough is Tuar Loch which translates into disappearing lake.
Turloughs are associated with limestone areas and are characterised by seasonal changes in water level. In the winter turloughs usually flood and then dry out in the summer. Fore this reason, they are considered as ecotones and are renowned for their botanical interest supporting rare plants such as Fly Orchid in the Burren, Co. Clare. Some turloughs never entirely dry out and will have water present even in the summer months.
Drag the slider across the image to see water levels in Lough Gealain Turlough in April 2021 compared with August 2021
Another characteristic of turloughs is that the water flows in and out of cracks and fissures in the limestone bed rock, with many turloughs having an inflow spring and a swallow hole where the water drains away.
Even though they are temporary habitats, turloughs support a variety of plants and animals, some of which are of particular conservation importance. In particular, when in flood, some turloughs are support internationally important number of migratory waterbirds such as Whooper Swan.
Turloughs are priority habitats listed on the EU Habitats Directive and County Clare contains some internationally important turloughs such as Lough Gealain which is one of many turloughs occurring in the East Burren.
Lakes
Lakes are bodies of standing water that lack a strong flow. Lakes can be natural or artificial (for example a quarry lake). Lough Derg is one of the largest, and possibly most well known, lakes in County Clare.
Lakes are usually classified based on their nutrient (trophic) status.
- Dystrophic lakes are highly acidic with low nutrient levels and are often associated with blanket bogs
- Acid oligotrophic lakes are acidic with low nutrient levels and are associated with areas of acidic bedrock, often with rocky lake margins
- Mesotrophic lakes are moderately rich in nutrients and have better developed fringing vegetation communities than oligotrophic lakes
- Eutrophic lakes have very high levels of nutrients and are base-rich. Some lakes are naturally eutrophic, but in Ireland the majority of lakes are eutrophic as a result of nutrient enrichment from surrounding lands
Lakes have played an important role in our history and cultural heritage and these habitats continue to play an important role in society for the provision of clean water, but also for the recreational and amenity opportunities they provide.
Lakes are important habitats for many waterbird species. For example, Whooper Swan, a protected bird species feeds on grasslands during the day, but roosts on open water (typically lakes) during the night. Whooper Swan are associated with a number of lakes across County Clare.
A diversity of habitats can be found at the edges of lakes, including reed swamp, fen, wet woodland, wet grassland, and even peatlands.
Rivers
Rivers are quite diverse and dynamic systems. They range in size, level of flow, and water levels. Rivers can be either eroding or depositing in nature. With eroding rivers often occurring in upland areas and depositing rivers occurring in the lowlands.
The erosion and deposition of rivers has played, and continues to play, an important role in shaping our landscape. Rivers have also played an important role in our history, representing an important source of freshwater and means of trade and transport. As a result of this, many villages and towns are located on rivers, for example Ennis on the River Fergus.
The Irish for Ennis is Inis. Inis means island and refers to Inis Laoi or Calf Island within the River Fergus which was originally settled in the 13th century. Over time this settlement grew into Ennis town.
A number of wetland habitats can often occur along the edges of rivers, such as reedswamp, wet grassland, and wet woodland. Rivers and their associated habitats support a number of rare and endangered species such as the Freshwater Pearl Mussel. European Eel, and Atlantic Salmon.
Despite their importance, many rivers have been altered by drainage, dredging and channel widening, resulting in changes in flow and catchment hydrology. Pollution and invasive species also pose a threat to river habitats.
Raised Bogs
Raised bogs are now an extremely rare type of peatland habitat. They are accumulations of deep peat that formed in depressions in the landscape created at the end of the last ice age.
After the ice sheets retreated water was left behind in these depressions in the landscape. Over time reed beds at the edges of these waterbodies began to die back and the dead plant material formed fen peat. As time went on, more and more decaying material contributed to the growing peat later.
Eventually the pet layer gets so deep that the roots of the plants at the surface of the peat cannot reach the groundwater. These plants instead rely on rainwater, which is nutrient poor and acidic.
The acidic and nutrient poor conditions mean that only a select number of plant species can survive in these habitats, creating a unique flora that are not commonly found in other habitats. Healthy raised bogs have a Sphagnum cover >40% and the wetter parts of bogs are dominated by Sphagnum mosses. There are over 20 types of Sphagnum mosses, but it is usual for four or five to be very dominant. In addition to supporting a range of Sphagnum mosses, raised bogs also contain species such as Bogbean, White beak-sedge, Bog Rosemary, and Sundews - to name a few!
Raised bog habitats have undergone a serious decline in the last few decades mainly as a result of drainage, peat cutting, and burning.
Intact raised bogs are a very important carbon store, however damaged raised bogs actually release carbon into the atmosphere. While raised bog restoration is becoming more common, it is very costly and time consuming and requires a certain level of expertise.
Salt marshes
Salt marshes are a coastal wetland type which is particularly abundant in the Shannon Estuary.
The plants that occur in salt marshes, not only have to cope with the challenges of living in a wet environment, they also have to cope with the added stress of high levels of salt and tidal fluctuations.
One common adaptation of salt marsh plants is to have succulent leaves which store water, for example Sea-milkwort, Sea Arrowgrass, and Common Scurvygrass. Some species, such as Sea Lavender even have pores on the leaves that excrete salt.
Salt marshes are covered by the tide for varying amounts of time and vegetation zonation occurs in line with the period of submersion, with plants that are better adapted to being submerged occurring further down the salt marsh.
Salt marshes only occur in sheltered areas where sediment can accumulate. Over time an algal layer grows on top of the sediment and pioneer plant species (usually Glassworts) become established. These pioneer species help to trap more sediment and allow more plants to colonise the marsh over time.
Salt marsh habitats support large numbers of wintering waterbirds and are also important carbon stores. Many salt marshes in Ireland are grazed by livestock. The invasive species Common Cordgrass, drainage, and overstocking of livestock all pose threats to saltmarsh habitats which are protected under the EU Habitats Directive.
Fens and Reed Swamps
Fens are peat-forming systems, however they differ from bogs as they are fed by groundwater or moving surface waters, as opposed to just rain water. Fens can be found at the edges of rivers or lakes, in poorly-drained basins or hollows, and sometimes on the fringes of bogs. Fens can be classified as 'rich' (basic) or 'poor' (acidic) depending on the water source.
Sedges are usually the dominant plant species found in fens, with species such as Black Sedge, Carnation Sedge, Bottle Sedge, and Common Yellow-sedge. Rushes and mosses are also common in fens. Fens support a high level of biodiversity, but are particularly important for invertebrates such as butterflies, moths, beetles, spiders, caddisflies, dragonflies, and damselflies.
Despite being extremely important peatland habitats, fens have the lowest protected area of all peatland habitats in Ireland and much less is known about their extent and distribution. Fens are particularly vulnerable to nutrient enrichment from groundwater, surface water, and run off.
Reed Swamps are most commonly found around lakes or on the banks of slow flowing rivers and estuaries. Reed Swamps are usually dominated by a very low number of Reed species, or sometimes large grasses or sedges. The most common plant species found in Reed Swamps are Common Reed, Reed Canary Grass, and Bulrush.
Reeds have modified stems that run horizontally underground and grow multiple upright shoots each year. These shoots can grow up to two meters high and the previous year's stems remain standing which helps to aerate the submerged roots and also provides structural diversity in the habitat. Reed Swamps can be quite dense and provide an important habitat for Otter and a number of bird species.
Wetland Conservation
It is only in recent times that there has been an increasing awareness of the value and importance of wetlands. Traditionally wetlands have been seen as wastelands or unproductive areas. As a result, many wetland habitats have been degraded and even lost. It is estimated that 35% of wetlands were lost globally between 1970 and 2015 and that 25% of plants and animals that live in wetlands are currently at risk of extinction.
The rapid decline of wetlands and growing awareness of the importance of these habitats has led to wetlands being protected under national and international law.
Many of Clare's wetland habitats and the species that rely on that are protected as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) forming part of a European network of nature sites known as the Natura 2000 network.
Many wetlands occur within National Parks, such as the Burren National Park, wildfowl sanctuaries, or Ramsar sites. The Ramsar Convention is an international agreement for the conservation and preservation of wetlands which has been in place since 1971. There are 45 RAMSAR sites in Ireland, two of which occur in County Clare - Ballyallia Lough and Coole Lough and Garryland Woodland.
One of the most common ways that peatlands have been altered is through drainage. It is common to see artificial drains running across bogs and marshes in what was an attempt to dry these habitats out and convert them to to what was perceived as more "productive" land.
Unfortunately, wetland habitats can only provide us with ecosystem services if they are in good condition. Once these habitats are damaged or degraded it can be extremely time consuming and expensive to try to repair and restore these habitats and their ecosystem services.
Landowners and communities in Clare have started to reverse this trend and have embarked on peatland rewetting projects. The Shanakyle Bog Restoration Project is the very first raised bog restoration and rewetting project to be carried out in County Clare. More information on this project is provided in the following section (Wetlands to visit in Clare). More recently, Knocknahila Community Group has undertaken rewetting of a blanket bog in West Clare.
How can you help to protect wetlands?
There are many simple actions that we can all take to help conserve wetlands, such as
- Conserving water in your home
- Using peat free compost
- Joining a local nature conservation group
- Creating a wildlife pond in your garden or neighbourhood
- Becoming a citizen scientist recording wetland biodiversity
- Adopt a local wetland
- Sharing knowledge with others on the importance of wetlands (e.g. via social media)
- Supporting organisations that protect wetlands (e.g. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Birdwatch Ireland)
- Avoiding any activities that are damaging to wetlands
- Exploring wetlands in your local area - see the next section for some inspiration!
Useful Links and Resources
- Irish Peatland Conservation Council https://www.ipcc.ie/
- Birdwatch Ireland https://birdwatchireland.ie/
- Irish Ramsar Wetland Committee resources https://www.irishwetlands.ie/resources/
- Community Wetlands Forum Resources https://communitywetlandsforum.ie/resources/
- The Living Bog website https://www.raisedbogs.ie/
- FarmPEAT resources and links https://www.farmpeat.ie/
- Wetland Surveys Ireland website https://www.wetlandsurveys.ie/wetlands
- ENFO, turloughs briefing sheet https://www.burrengeopark.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/GSI-_Turloughs.pdf
- Clare Wetland Survey 2022, 2023, 2024
- Wildflowers of Ireland website https://www.wildflowersofireland.net/
- Butterflies of Ireland http://www.irishbutterflies.com/butterfly_species.html
- Heritage Council Guide to Habitats in Ireland https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/A-Guide-to-Habitats-2nd-Edition.pdf
- National Biodiversity Data Centre https://biodiversityireland.ie/
- Community Action: A Beginners Guide to Wetlands (in prep)
Wetlands to visit in Clare
There is no shortage of wetland habitats to visit throughout county Clare - here are a few examples
Clare Wetland Map
More information on wetland sites in county Clare (and further afield!) is available on the Map of Irish Wetlands - have a browse to see the wetland sites near you!
Map of Irish Wetlands
This project is supported by Clare County Council, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund) and Creative Ireland. This project is supported by Clare County Council's Biodiversity Officer. The Local Authority Biodiversity Officer Programme is delivered in Partnership with the Heritage Council.
