Lough Foyle RAMSAR

Lough Foyle Ramsar site is situated on the north coast of Northern Ireland in County Londonderry, extending north east of the city of Derry.
This includes the whole of the Lough Foyle Area of Special Scientifc Interest, the intertidal area of the Magilligan ASSI in Lough Foyle extending south of Magilligan Point and all of Lough Foyle Special Protection Area.

The site is comprised of a large shallow sea lough which includes the estuaries of the rivers Foyle, Faughan and Roe and contains extensive intertidal mudflats and sandflats, and associated brackish ditches
The site qualifies under Criterion 1a of the Ramsar Convention by being a particularly good representative example of a wetland complex including intertidal sand and mudflats with extensive seagrass beds, saltmarsh, estuaries and associated brackish ditches.

The site also qualifies under Criterion 1c by being a particularly good representative example of a wetland, which plays a substantial hydrological, biological and ecological system role in the natural functioning of a major river basin which is located in a trans-border position.

The littoral communities found in Lough Foyle reflect the dominance of intertidal sands and muds. While rocky substrate is very limited, the extensive beds of common mussel provide a stable surface for acorn barnacle and edible periwinkle. The polychaete green leaf worm is a common associate and the soft mud shores hold a range of typical invertebrates, with a number of species, such as the polychaete worm Hediste diversicolor, indicative of reduced salinity conditions. Balls Point has the highest diversity of sediment and community types in Lough Foyle and holds large populations of the bivalves sand gaper and peppery furrow shell.

The extensive mudflats support large beds of both common mussel and eelgrass. The latter are amongst the largest colonies of this vegetation type in Northern Ireland and include two species, Narrow-leaved eelgrass and dwarf eelgrass. Large stands of saltmarsh vegetation occur along the foreshore, displaying a transitional sequence of community types.

The lower colonising saltmarsh consists of a community dominated by common saltmarsh-grass. As tidal influence declines up the shore, this is replaced by a "middle-marsh" community, characterised by red fescue and mud rush. Localised stands of sea club-rush and common reed also occur and the uppermost saltmarsh features a community dominated by common couch.

Just west of the Ballykelly Bank, on the large intertidal mudflats, which form part of a larger creek network, the lower saltmarsh communities are replaced by extensive stands of common cord-grass. Brackish dykes behind the shore support a maritime aquatic and swamp vegetation, including reflexed saltmarsh-grass and spiral tasselweed.