Endangered birds in two Cork villages will limit flood prevention works, report finds

The presence of endangered birds in two Cork villages designated as being in an environmentally sensitive area is going to significantly limit the amount of flood prevention works which can be carried out in both.

That is according to a report commissioned by Cork County Council in the Inchigeelagh and Ballingeary areas, which lie within the environmentally sensitive upper River Lee catchment, upstream of the Gearagh SAC (special area of conservation). 

The report stated that this significantly constrains potential flood mitigation works in those areas.

It is another setback for people living in Inchigeelagh in particular. The village was approved for Office of Public Works minor works funding in 2017, but this did not proceed, due to environmental concerns raised by the National Parks & Wildlife Service at the time.

A meeting of the Macroom Municipal District Council heard that the council has recently commissioned bird, mammal, and aquatic ecology surveys.

While the mammal and aquatic reports are still pending, the draft bird survey identified significant ecological sensitivities, recording numerous species of conservation concern in both villages.

The Gearagh is around 2km south-west of Macroom, and in the 1950s, it was designated as a special protection area for the wigeon, teal, mallard and coot.