Gleann a' Phúca, the Cork City project which has been leading a campaign for the protection of rivers around the city, has called for support for World Wetlands Day on Sunday, February 2.
A wetland is an area of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, where the water table is near or at the surface.
Ireland's wetland habitats range from the very small (like a freshwater spring) to those which dominate the landscape, such as lakes, rivers and bogs. They are home to a large diversity of plant and animal species and form a network of ecological sites for many species.
Four sites in the Cork area – at Ballycotton Bay; in Cork Harbour; Ballymacoda, and The Gearagh, a submerged glacial woodland and nature reserve two kilometres southwest of Macroom, are designated as 'Ramsar sites,' - of international importance under the Ramsar Convention ("The Convention on Wetlands") An intergovernmental treaty framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, it was adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar and. 90% of United Nations States have signed it. The Irish Ramsar Wetlands Committee was set up by the Government in 2010 and is co-hosted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the EPA. All Irish sites are listed on the 'Wetland Guide to Habitat Types' which can be downloaded here
The Gleann a' Phúca project started from the interest of artist Julie Forrester in the Glen River Valley on the Northside of Cork City. The name is taken from the original Irish referring to the 'Glen of the Spooks.' "We respond to the ecological, cultural, industrial and historical heritage within this ancient glacial valley and contemporary urban park on the North East side of Cork City," the organisation says.
From its initiative, the Cork Rivers Group has been developed, bringing together community groups, organisations, and stakeholders across the city and county who are interested in protecting and caring for rivers and streams in their local areas.
