Lough Aleater ASSI

Lough Aleater is a mid-altitude lake generally surrounded by steep sloping ground. It is a special place because of its aquatic flora and fauna, which is dependent on unpolluted water and low levels of plant nutrients. The substrate of the lake is diverse, and ranges from boulder and rock to gravel with sand, except upon the southern shoreline which consists of a peat substrate. This provides a range of habitats for a wide diversity of plants and animals. This type of lake is becoming increasingly rare in the Northern Ireland countryside due to pollution.

Beds of shoreweed and water lobelia are abundant along the shore and in the shallows where protected by emergent vegetation. floating club-rush and bulbous rush also occur in these submerged lawns while on the surface floating rafts are formed by broad-leaved pondweed, water lilies and floating bur-reed. A swamp zone is created along the majority of the shore by common club-rush backed by common reed and bottle sedge. A wide variety of sedges and herbs such as marsh marigold, meadow thistle and water mint dominate the surrounding fen area that exists behind the band of swamp. This fen area is of great importance as this habitat is rapidly disappearing from our countryside due to drainage, infilling and nutrient enrichment.