Applications for the 2022 programme are open until 5pm on 21st December 2021.

Are you aged between 14 and 17? Would you like the opportunity to learn outdoor adventure and practical conservation skills? Do you have a passion for the Ring of Gullion or Strangford and Lecale AONBs and the wider environment? Perhaps you would like to work in the environmental conservation field? Then this could be the opportunity for you.

14 to 17 year olds are invited to participate in the Ring of Gullion Landscape and the Strangford and Lecale AONB’s Youth Ranger...

Moved by Nature- Big Webinar of Action

About this event

Join us on the 27th January 2022 from 10am-12pm for a discussion in the role we each play to protect and restore our natural environment. This event has been organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council, National Trust, Sport NI and Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership. Speakers include Europarc, Leave no Trace, The WISE Scheme, The Green Blue, The Right Side of Outside and Sustainable NI.

Register for this FREE event via the Eventbrite website here

The problem

• One million marine animals die every year due to plastic pollution
• A truck load of plastic enters our oceans every single minute
• In Northern Ireland alone, nearly 80% of litter found on our beaches
• contains plastic*

We’ve all heard these figures and seen the upsetting images, but what can we do about it?

The solution

We all need to do our bit to tackle pointless plastic – be part of the solution and tackle plastic in your workplace.

Adopt this easy to follow toolkit to...

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AFFAIRS

27 September 2021

Poots launches NI’s first ever scheme to protect our pollinators

Environment Minister Edwin Poots has launched Northern Ireland’s first ever Rural Community Pollinator Scheme to improve the health of our bees and pollinators and help protect our eco-systems.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots with Jilly Dougan from Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful launch Northern Ireland’s first ever...

KFC Foundation Community Grants Programme Opens for Applications

The Community Grants Programme will provide support for charities, clubs and community groups who seek to address the needs of socially disadvantaged young people and help them unlock their talent, build life skills, and help them create a positive future.

Grants of between £200 and £2,000 are available for projects which:

• Benefit young people aged 11-25 years old.
• Support those in a position of social disadvantage, such as experiencing homelessness, young carers,...

Applications for trees are now open.
 

We're delighted to announce that applications for trees are now open for the Winter 2021-2022 planting project.

This update includes a quick summary of the project and tree packs for this winter planting.  For more detailed information follow the link towards the bottom of the update which will take you to the website and tree pack applications. 
 

Tree Pack Schemes:

Tree Packs: From 1 - 250 trees - open to all...

Over recent years as more and more of us spend time in the outdoors for our health and wellbeing and enjoy holidaying at home, one of the water activities that has seen a notable increase in popularity is the use of Personal Water (PWC) craft or Jet Ski, as they are commonly referred to.

In response to this Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership and 13 other coastal management stakeholders have launched Safety Checklist and Responsible User Checklist, facilitated by Leave No Trace Ireland, to remind all PWC users of some top hints and tips that will help to make...

Image credit: Ballymacdermott Court Tomb by John Williams Runner up in the AONB Calendar competition 2020

Newry Mourne and Down District Council have successfully secured funding from the NIEA Challenge Fund to implement additional biodiversity and access projects within the Ring of Gullion and Strangford and Lecale (RGSLL) AONBs.

A total of £279,500 has been secured to invest in a range of exciting natural heritage projects across the areas. This funding will assist in the delivery of key environmental outcomes as identified in the AONB management plans; improving...

In recent weeks visitors to the coast have enjoyed the special experience of observing marine wildlife including Harbour porpoises, dolphins, Minke whales and a Thresher shark off Rathlin Island.
However there have been a number of complaints about jet skis causing disturbance to marine wildlife. All species of whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively termed ‘cetaceans’) are fully protected by law from disturbance, capture, injury or killing*. This means that insensitive boat handling or jet ski use that leads to disturbance or injury of protected species may lead to...

In what is becoming an annual event, SLLP teamed up with the Strangford Lough and Ards Peninsula National Trust Ranger team and volunteers for an 'extreme clean-up' of marine litter on the shores of Strangford Lough. Thanks to a Small Grant from Live Here Love Here, we once again tackled an “extreme clean-up” of those hard to reach stretches of shore around Strangford Lough and Strangford and Lecale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This year our chosen spot for a clean-up was National Trust owned Taggart Island, on the west coast of the lough. Despite delays and challenges...

Invasive plants and animals from all over the world have been introduced accidentally to British waters. Over fifty different freshwater species have already been found in our lakes, rivers and other waterways, and the numbers of new arrivals is increasing rapidly.

They cause serious environmental problems that can be irreversible, find out more here, and can interfere with the activities you enjoy by clogging propellers, damaging boats, blocking up waterways making it hard to fish or use them for paddling, and increasing the risk of flooding.

They can be small and hard...

Image Credit NIEA Facebook page

Flying your drone this weekend -think about our wildlife! UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles can cause serious disturbance to vulnerable breeding birds and animals. Check out the new advice for drone, UAV & model aircraft pilots from The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime NI at https://bit.ly/3yNjihB

Always use your common sense and think about the potential impact to nearby wildlife before you fly!

The Live Here Love Here Marine Litter Capital Grants are being provided by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs through the Live Here Love Here collaborative partnership, involving DAERA, ten Local Councils, Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

The Marine Litter Capital Grants will support organisations and groups to purchase items to:

• Prevent litter and plastic pollution from entering the marine environment 
• Enhance the environmental management of a local area to reduce marine litter
...

Leave No Trace Ireland together with