Northern Ireland launches environment survey

The Tellus Border Project will be carried out by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Queen’s University and Dundalk Institute of Technology.

The £4 million is funded by the European INTERREG IVA development programme.

Researchers will monitor levels of carbon in soil and identify groundwater pollution.

The project is an extension of the Tellus Project in Northern Ireland, which produced new maps and digital data of soils, rocks and stream waters of the whole of Northern Ireland.

The DUP’s enterprise minister Arlene Foster said: “This project will provide high quality geological information to ensure sustainable use of Northern Ireland’s natural resources.

“It will continue the analysis of the information gathered under the Tellus Project and help inform government development decisions including sustainable use of land in planning decisions, and enhance further private sector investment in areas such as mineral exploration.”

The area covered by the project includes Northern Ireland, (excluding the Belfast Metropolitan Area) and the six northern counties of the Republic of Ireland (Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Monaghan, Cavan and Louth).

Alison Brown