19th November 1998

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The Du Pont Chemical plant in Londonderry/Derry is one of the most unique environmental sites in Northern Ireland - one quarter of all flowering plants in Ireland are represented on the site, for example.

This is one of the more startling pieces of information which is likely to be discussed when researchers at the University of Ulster announce details of a £380,000 international environmental project. The project is supported by the EC Life Environment Programme.

The three-year project, which will involve work on industrial sites in Derry, Belfast, England, Wales and Spain, will be launched at the Derry City Council offices on Thursday, 19 November. Representatives from many of the proposed sites are expected at the launch.

While official methods and strategies are in place to protect areas normally associated with the environment, such as nature reserves, no such policies and procedures exist for industrial sites. Such sites can often suffer from a loss of wildlife and plant life through inappropriate management or by being left derelict, as with quarries or landfill sites, for example.

The University project which will look at the viability of developing methods for protecting and improving environments on and near industrial sites.

Researchers have released details of a five-month pilot project at Du Pont which they say has confirmed that such industrial locations can be surprisingly valuable in environmental terms.

The Maydown site, which measures 182 hectares, is the location of a former naval base. Researcher Andrea Service says it provided quite a few surprises:

"The range of habitat there is quite unique. More than a quarter of the flowering plants found in Ireland were recorded on the site, including twelve regionally rare species. We even uncovered several rare varieties of orchids.

"Many of the features we found there are quite uncommon elsewhere in Northern Ireland's countryside. They were of a very high quality in environmental terms, including woodland, various forms of grassland, salt marsh and bog."

Du Pont's John Gibson looks after much of the environmental development at the site:

"We have always been very interested in the environmental aspects of our work here. When we took over the site our concept had been to create a chemical plant within a garden. Of course we have a responsibility to our shareholders but we are also aware that we have a responsibility to the community.

"We have had 34 species of birds on the site at one time or another and at the moment, with the University's help we are trying to manage our grasslands in such a way that we may encourage the Corncrake to settle with us. We are also developing a programme to restore the old British Oxygen Company area on our site."

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk