Braade ASSI

Braade is a scarp cliff in the middle of Lough Navar Forest, 7.5 km north-west of Derrygonnelly in County Fermanagh. The area is of special scientific interest because of its rare plants. The moss Orthodontium gracile has recently been recorded here at its only known Irish site.

This rare plant of sandstone rocks has suffered a severe decline in the last 150 years and has only been seen recently at nine sites in Britain. In addition, Braade is the only known site in Northern Ireland for the arctic-alpine species, holly-fern. This fern is scarce and apparently decreasing in Ireland, with only 9 recent recorded occurrences. As the majority of these are on the west coast, the Braade site is the most easterly location for the species. In the British Isles as a whole, its distribution is predominantly northern, with its headquarters in the central Scottish Highlands.