Cuilcagh Mountain - SAC

Cuilcagh Mountain is a Natura2000 site and has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Special Areas of Conservation are designated based on the presence of habitat types and/or species that are rare or threatened within the European context.

Cuilcagh Mountain is located in South-West Fermanagh and North-West Cavan, and extends to an altitude of 665M with the SAC measuring 2744.45 hectares. Cuilcagh Mountain is the second largest expanse of intact blanket bog in Northern Ireland, featuring a wide range of characteristic structural features and vegetation communities. The SAC also contains important geological and physiographical Earth Science features, such as Northern Ireland’s only Gritstone edge and pavement.

The area was designated as a SAC due to the presence of blanket bogs which are a European Priority Interest (this SAC is one of the best areas in the UK) and European Interests such as alpine and subalpine heaths, European dry heaths, natural dystrophic lakes and ponds (acid peat-stained lakes and ponds), Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix (wet heathland with cross-leaved heath), siliceous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation and siliceous scree of the montane to snow levels (acidic scree).

Conservation objectives for this area include: maintaining and restoring the intact banket bog, maintaining and restoring natural dystrophic lakes and ponds, maintaining and restoring Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix, maintaining and restoring European dry heaths, maintaining and restoring alpine and boreal heaths, maintaining and restoring siliceous scree of the montane to snow levels, and maintaining and restoring siliceous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation.

Sources: Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.