SUSTAINABILITY

Forget it! This plant is a curse that
devours Irish sand dunes – thankfully
major removal works have been carried
out by MOD in recent years, with still
more to come to control and prevent
its spread.
The seal colony at Ballykinler one of the best ‘haul-outs’ for common seal in Northern Ireland © Antony Canniford
found zooming around both sites.
Other uncommon or declining species
include small heath, small copper and
common blue – over the course of a
summer you can see most of the
butterfly species in Northern Ireland at
these two sites!
Magilligan is one of the only sites in the
British Isles for scarce crimson and gold
moth (this species is now extinct in GB
so the importance of the colony at
Magilligan can’t be overstated).
Additionally, Magilligan is also home to
the largest colony of small eggar moth
in the UK – a species that has almost
disappeared from mainland Britain.
Whereas, Ballykinler offers one of the
only sites in Northern Ireland for the
sand dart moth – hundreds of species
of moth have been recorded at this site.
There is a simple logic to why these two
sites are amongst the best conservation
areas in the UK – humans only enter
these sites as a necessity, as part of their
job. By and large (apart from the odd
loud bang or bright light) wildlife is left
to its own devices. This is in stark
reflection to similar sites nearby, which
battle with high levels of disturbance
and visitor pressure – at these
protected MOD sites, in common with
many others across the UK, wildlife not
only survives but literally thrives.
A classic example of this is the seal
colony at Ballykinler – one of the best
‘haul-outs’ for common seal in Northern
Ireland (as well as good numbers of
grey seal). Despite Ballykinler being a
focus for military activity for over 100
years the seals draw their line in the
sand here rather than suffer the publicly
accessible beach nearby – the very
existence of Ballykinler camp allows a
much-needed compromise between
man and nature.
It isn’t all rosy though and both sites
suffer from similar ailments – the
introduction of Myxomatosis in the
1950s has left a legacy of too few
rabbits to properly combat the scrubby
plants and rough grasses, to mitigate
against this grazing with conservation
cattle has been introduced at both
sites. Sea buckthorn is found along the
shore at both these sand dune systems
– some people try to make room for
this spiky horror with talk of the
benefits to wintering birds and the high
in vitamin C content of the berries.
Marsh helleborine Epipactis palustris © Crown
Some people like machines and
weaponry others like birds and moths
– happily there’s room for everybody at
Ballykinler and Magilligan. Maj Tony
Canniford and DIO ecologist Olly
Howells from the MOD have made a
real effort to involve local naturalists
and conservation NGO’s (such as Ulster
Wildlife, Butterfly Conservation and the
Ulster Museum) in wildlife recording
and conservation management.
Developing on this the MOD and Ulster
Wildlife are to appoint a Conservation
Officer for Ballykinler and Magilligan to
deliver upon the conservation goals
and commitments that the MOD and
the Northern Ireland Environment
Agency have for both SAC sites.
Andy Crory
Nature Reserves Manager
Northern Ireland
SANCTUARY 45 2016
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