NIFRSA wildfire that has damaged a third of Slieve Beagh is “extremely worrying”, a local councillor has said.
On Saturday, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said temperatures dropped overnight, “which has helped the situation”, with two appliances remaining at Ballagh Road in Clogher.
A warning is in place for wildfires across Northern Ireland this weekend and the fire service has urged the public to stay vigilant.
Councillor Gael Gildernew said the Slieve Beagh area has recently secured €6m (£5m) in funding, and locals “are very concerned” by recent developments.
‘Devastation’
Last month, Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin announced that the Irish government has made allocations from the Shared Island Fund, over the next five years, to develop Sliabh Beagh as an eco-tourism destination.
“People are worried about that and the possibility of where the funding is going to go,” Gildernew told BBC News NI.
The fire ignited on Thursday morning and fire crews have remained on the scene ever since.
On Friday evening, 50 firefighters with 10 appliances tackled the blaze on the County Tyrone/County Monaghan border.
“They currently have the fire out and they are just keeping an eye here, so that it doesn’t reignite,” Gildernew added.
“It’s a beautiful area. People love it; and you have homes, you have farms, rural life going on.”
As a special protection area and special area of conservation, Slieve Beagh is home to the endangered hen harrier and intact blanket bog habitat.
Gildernew said wildlife and the habitat will be affected.
“There are birds nesting in the ground – it’s going to take years for the area to come back to where it should be – or where it was at.
“I have seen the devastation from the fire myself and it’s about a third of the Slieve Beagh area.”
‘Big tourism area’
“This would be a big tourism area. There are lots of local businesses, but tourism would be a big thing,” she added.
“The funding is to increase and improve tourism in the area, so that will have an impact on that – we will have to look at that.”
Birdlife and vegetation will take time to recover, she added.
“This is a cross-border fire, and I know on the Monaghan side there have been frantic attempts to move machinery out of the way.”
What is a special area?
In Northern Ireland, a special area of conservation (SAC), external has increased protection under the Conservation Regulations 1995.
The protection is granted if the area contains special habitats or species that are at risk.
It also aims to safeguard biodiversity at both national and international levels.
A special protection area (SPA), external is also designated under the Conservation Regulations 1995.
They are important areas for breeding, over-wintering and migrating birds.
