Case study:Mulkear Life Project

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Location: 52° 42' 33.83" N, 8° 24' 29.00" W

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Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site	http://www.mulkearlife.com
Themes	Fisheries, Habitat and biodiversity, Land use management - agriculture, Social benefits
Country	Ireland
Main contact forename	Nick
Main contact surname	Elbourne
Main contact user ID	User:NickRRC
Contact organisation	Inland Fisheries Ireland
Contact organisation web site
Partner organisations	Office of Public Works (Ireland), Limerick County Council
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Catchment map for the Mulkear River and tributaries. Courtesy of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board.

Project summary

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The Mulkear River and its tributaries (principally Newport, Bilboa and Dead rivers) form part of the Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and are particularly important for sea lamprey, Atlantic salmon, European otter, river lamprey and brook lamprey. The first three of these are the main ecological focus for this project.

The rivers have been extensively modified since the 1850s - straightening and meander removal, along with regular removal of LWD and other vegetation - which has reduced habitat diversity and thus biological diversity - ie. LWD removal reduces pool formation - an important habitat for juvenile Atlantic salmon. In addition, a number of weirs have been installed, creating a barrier to free upstream migration of fish for spawning - particularly sea lamprey and Atlantic salmon.

The riparian zones along the Mulkear and its tributaries have been degrading for many years, contributed to by the spread of invasive species (eg. giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam). This may lead to loss of river bank stability, sedimentation of important spawning beds and in the long term, the health of the riverine ecosystem as a whole.

A number of aims have been set out to improve the in-stream and riparian habitats:

1. Restoration of degraded habitats to improve otter (Action for otters), sea lamprey and Atlantic salmon populations, using best-practice for habitat rehabilitation.

2. Removal/modification of weirs to facilitate upstream fish migration for spawning.

3. Prevention and reversal of damage caused by invasive/introduced species - removal of problem vegetation from riparian zone and replacement of conifers with deciduous trees.

4. Work with local farmers to produce alternative solutions for cattle watering, with less impact on water quality.

5. Extensive advocacy/advisory work to create strong community links, along with improved education and awareness of river-related issues.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Image gallery

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Shannon River basin Shannon Subcatchment River name Mulkear Area category 100 - 1000 km² Area (km2) 650650 km² <br />65,000 ha <br /> Maximum altitude category 200 - 500 m Maximum altitude (m) Dominant geology Siliceous Ecoregion Ireland and Northern Ireland Dominant land cover Waterbody ID Site Edit site Name Mulkear Catchment WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Mulkear WMU Pre-project morphology Straightened, Artificial channel Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body No National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Special Area of Conservation Protected species present Yes Invasive species present Yes Species of interest Sea lamprey, Atlantic salmon and European otter Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started 2009/01/01 Works started Works completed Project completed 2014/01/01 Total cost category more than 10000 k€ Total cost (k€) 17408181,740,818 k€ <br />1,740,818,000 € <br /> Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources EU Life Programme (50%), Inland Fisheries Ireland, Office of Public Works, Limerick County Council, NPWS, North & South Tipperary Councils Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Channel pattern/planform Biology Physico-chemical Specific non-synthetic pollutants Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Weir removal/modification for easement of fish passage Floodplain / River corridor Protect/restore riparian zone, Removal of exotic plants, Replacement of conifers with deciduous woodland, Alternative cattle watering solutions to improve water quality Planform / Channel pattern Other Best practice for river habitat restoration Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Develop strong community links and education for river-related issues. Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information