Towards a Just Settlement for Lough Neagh
Exactly 2 years ago, after a year of devastating algal blooms, we gathered in the MAC, Belfast, to talk about Crimes Against Lough Neagh. At that event we collectively wrote a series of demands. These demands have set the agenda for our work on the Lough and are listed below.
Two years on we want to ask what progress has been made on these 5 demands and, secondly, are these demands still the right ones? Is Lough Neagh getting a just and fair settlement? If yes, what progress has been made. If not, why not?
A Just Settlement for Lough Neagh
Governance - An independent Environmental Protection Agency AND a catchment management authority that is not controlled by vested interests.
Ownership - Acquisition from the Earl of Shaftesbury and a new model of community ownership that also enshrines legally enforceable rights of nature for the Lough.
Democracy - Participation and deliberation for the wider public such as a Citizen’s Assembly, a People’s Commission for Water, and a Citizen’s Jury.
Breathing spaces - No more factory farms, a moratorium on sand dredging, and investment in sewage infrastructure.
Transparency - Every organisation with an interest in Lough Neagh must declare that interest and every conflict of interest must be on the table.
* STOP Protecting Business as Usual *
* START Protecting Lough Neagh *