About Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

Committed to protecting its rich natural heritage, MEABC’s Parks and Open Spaces Development team actively manage local landscapes to counter climate change and habitat loss. For the Keeran Moss project, MEABC acted as the project lead, partnering with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Northern Ireland (RSPB NI) and securing vital funding from the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to turn a degraded landscape into an environmental asset.

About Keeran Moss

Keeran Moss, located on the Cairn Road, Carrickfergus, County Antrim, is a rare “island” of peatland surrounded by improved and semi-improved agricultural grassland. Prior to intervention, the site lacked environmental land management for an extended period, leading to overgrown vegetation and invasive scrub. The overarching goal of the Keeran Moss Peatland Restoration Project was to restore ecosystem balance, maximize carbon storage, and reverse biodiversity loss. Following initial restoration works completed in March 2022, the site was given a recovery period to evolve naturally. In 2026, a new phase is launching to reintroduce the community to this flourishing landscape through a self-facilitated, local management model.

Key Insights:

• Scalable Climate Solutions: Restoring even a small, 12-hectare fragmented peatland successfully captures carbon and improves local water storage.
• Replicable Blueprint: The project provides a practical model of best practice for local authorities, private landowners, and environmental stakeholders balancing habitat conservation with public health and wellbeing.
• Innovative Community Delivery: The site will now utilise a unique, self-facilitated infrastructure model where the unstaffed reserve is handed directly over to local organisations, clubs, and researchers to drive independent, nature-based programming.

What MEABC did

MEABC executed a multi-year strategy split into two distinct operational phases: ecological restoration and community infrastructure design.

Ecological Restoration Interventions (Phase 1):

• Peat and Carbon Management: Protected remaining intact peat islands covered in heather and Sphagnum moss to preserve their natural carbon sequestration capabilities.
• Habitat Reengineering: Excavated new ponds in the cut-over deep peat areas to support freshwater aquatic life and repaired native boundary hedgerows around the site’s perimeter.
• Vegetation and Predator Control: Controlled soft rush, rank vegetation, and large grass tussocks by implementing strict mowing regimes. Removed scattered conifers and gorse bushes to eliminate predator perches and fox hideaways, optimizing conditions for breeding waders.
• Scientific Benchmarking: Completed and shared a Natural Capital Baseline study with key stakeholders to formally measure the site’s environmental worth.

Community Infrastructure Integration & 2026 Relaunch (Phase 2):

• Natural Recovery Alignment: Stepped back following initial engineering works to allow the landscape time to bloom, evolve, and naturally reclaim the space.
• Site Preparation: Outfitted the unstaffed reserve with minimalist, functional amenities including a small on-site kitchenette, basic toilet facilities, secluded group gathering spaces, and limited vehicle parking.
• Self-Facilitated Booking Framework: Designed a modern, zero-staff administrative model launching in 2026. Instead of running events directly, MEABC are opening a streamlined booking gateway empowering organized community groups, universities, and wellbeing networks to safely host their own self-led environmental activities.

Impacts and Outcomes

The project has successfully converted an unmanaged “island” of degraded peatland into a high-functioning nature reserve and community sanctuary.

• Reinvigorated Ecosystem Services: The site successfully functions as an active carbon store and a natural water retention basin, mitigating local flood risks and trapping greenhouse gases.
• Surging Biodiversity: The specialized wet meadow area is thriving independently, safeguarding rare wild orchids and wetland flora. The newly dug ponds have driven an uptick in freshwater wildlife like dragonflies and damselflies, while the protected wet woodlands provide vital nesting grounds for visiting chiffchaffs and willow warblers.
• Established Best Practice Model: Keeran Moss stands as a physical site of best practice, providing an educational template that inspires neighbouring landowners and regional bodies to initiate small-scale conservation work on their own properties.
• Social and Well-being Return: By shifting to a community-managed venue, the project opens endless local opportunities for citizen science (moth trapping, wildlife surveys), specialized hobby groups (birdwatching, photography), and public health initiatives (mindfulness and yoga in nature).