COSAINT

The pollution of water is a significant environmental problem facing agriecosystems. Cattle access to riparian areas and water courses is often considered a pressure which can increase both nutrient and sediment input to streams. The Common Agricultural Policy facilitates establishment of agri-environment schemes (AES) for the protection of ecosystem goods and services. Fenced riparian buffer measures to exclude cattle have been included in most European AES, most recently in the Green Low Emission Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS). However, although riparian mitigation measures (including fencing) are commonly implemented, few studies have evaluated their effectiveness.

Aim

The aim of this project is to assess the environmental, ecological and socio-economic impact of existing and potential measures that prevent cattle access to watercourses.

Objectives

• Analysis of existing datasets, and new field and experimentation datasets (temporal and spatial) to determine the impact of cattle access to (and exclusion from) watercourses on freshwater ecosystems.
• Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of cattle exclusion measures and assess farmer attitudes to the environment, their perception of estimated costs and their likelihood of adopting measures to prevent cattle access.

Actions

• Literature review on the impact of cattle access on freshwater ecosystems
  This WP will evaluate available literature on the impact of cattle access on aquatic ecosystems.
• Selection and characterisation of experimental sites
  This work package will identify and characterise catchments with cattle access sites appropriate for inclusion in the project.
• Collection and analysis of geochemical and microbial parameters in freshwater ecosystems relative to cattle access and exclusion
  In this WP the impact of cattle access points, cattle in-stream activity and proposed cattle exclusion measures on freshwater geochemical parameters, faecal indicator bacteria and sediment export and dynamics will be assessed.
• Collection and analysis of ecological datasets associated with cattle access to watercourses
  The objective of this WP is to assess the impact of cattle access points and cattle in-stream activity on freshwater benthic ecology and its recovery over time as well as hyporheic ecology and chemistry.
• National Estimate of On FarmWater Courses
  No map exists in Ireland showing farm boundaries , this work package will create such a map. This will be used in conjunction with the OSI water body maps to calculate a suite of statistics on farm waterbodies.
• Cost-effectiveness of existing and potential cattle exclusion measures: Socioeconomic implications
  The cost-effectiveness of fencing and alternative water provision mechanisms as measures to improve water quality will be evaluated. The WP will also assess the willingness of farmers to adopt such measures and determine the level of incentives required to ensure adequate participation.

Outcomes

The study will improve knowledge in relation to the impact of cattle to streams on environmental , ecological and socio-economic parameters and hence will be of relevance to a wide range of stakeholders including researchers, policymakers and landowners.

This study will provide information to policy-makers regarding the appropriate design and management of measures that prevent cattle access to watercourses, improve water quality and in-turn enhance aquatic ecosystems.

Information from this study will play an important role in future revisions to the Rural Development Programme and in helping Ireland achieve targets under the Water Framework Directive. The project will also help address the objectives of Food Harvest 2020 for sustainable intensification.

Project Partners

Teagasc

• Dr. Daire Ó hUallacháin – Project Co-ordinator
• Stuart Green
• Ger Shortle
• Dr. Karen Daly
• Dr. Owen Fenton
• Mary Ryan
• Dr. Paul O’Callaghan
• Dr Sara Vero
• Noelle Dunne
• Paul Kilgarriff

University College Dublin

• Dr. Mary Kelly-Quinn
• Matt O’Sullivan (PhD student)

Dundalk Institute of Technology

• Dr. Eleanor Jennings
• Dr. Suzanne Linnane
• Patricia Atunes (PhD student)

Dublin City University

• Prof. Fiona Regan

Research publications

1. O’Sullivan et al. (2017) The ecological impacts of cattle access on freshwater ecosystems. Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences (SEFS); Olomouc, Czech Republic; July 2017
2. Ó hUallacháin et al. (2016) Cattle Exclusion from Watercourses: Environmental and socioeconomic implications. 1^st Ecology and Evolution Conference , Sligo, November 2016
3. Antunes et al. (2016) The impact of cattle access and exclusion from watercourses on freshwater geochemical and microbial parameters. IWA Regional Conference on Diffuse Pollution and Catchment Management, Dublin City University, October 2016.
4. Antunes et al. (2016) The impact of cattle access and exclusion from watercourses on freshwater geochemical and microbial parameters. Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) 18, Lunz & Gaming, Austria. July 2016
5. Jennings et al. (2016) The impact of cattle on freshwater ecosystems. EPA Catchments publication, 2016, Spring, Pg. 13

Funding

This project is funded by Environmental Protection Agency under the Research Programme 2014-2020