Eleven priority species protected under the law in Northern Ireland are found within 100 metres of the point Harland & Wolff want to discharge a hypersaline solution into the sea to create gas caverns under Larne Lough.
Under the plans, seven underground caverns, each the size of a skyscraper, would be carved out of salt layers under the lough by a method known as solution mining.
The resulting hypersaline salt and chemical solution created by the excavation process would then be discharged into the sea in a protected marine area near Islandmagee creating a 'dead zone' where no marine life could survive.
Read more: Hundreds take to the beach in protest at Co Antrim gas cavern project
Many in the community are opposed to the project because of the environmental and biodiversity implications.
On Tuesday, No Gas Caverns and Friends of the Earth NI are due in the High Court the first day of their four day judicial review against the project. They are hoping to overturn Edwin Poots' decision to the give the project a marine licence when he was Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Lisa Dobbie, of No Gas Caverns said: "We are a group of ordinary people forced to take extraordinary action against a government department who we believe have failed to properly assess the impacts of this highly damaging fossil fuel project.
"It is incredibly difficult for citizens to access environmental justice in Northern Ireland, but with the actions of a very determined group of residents, an expert legal team and the support of hundreds of people who have donated so generously, we stand with Friends of the Earth ready for this important case to proceed."
DAERA has previously admitted it has a case to answer as Minister Poots went against the advice of experts in his own department, which supports bird conservation on nearby Isle of Muck.
We travelled to the area by boat on Sunday to see what wildlife could be impacted by the water pollution this project will cause if it goes ahead. The discharge point is in clear view of the Isle of Muck, where a range of vulnerable sea birds nest and rear their young. We also saw seals and harbour porpoise in the area around the discharge point and were told by local divers the zone is often frequented by pods of dolphins, they fear they will never see again if the gas caverns are built.
Campaigners also say the project has major climate implications as it was approved to store fossil fuel gas.
They argue the development will take around 12 years to become fully operational and that the energy required to fill the caverns with gas and keep it at a safe temperature will make it one of Northern Ireland's energy users. In this time of climate emergency, they believe every effort should be made to move away from fossil fuels to meet ambitious climate targets of net zero.
This is the first case of its kind in Northern Ireland, where the court will be asked to grapple with the implications of climate change. The groups will argue developments that stand to impact the local environment and climate change goals so drastically should be subject to the highest degree of decision making, accountability and transparency.
James Orr, Director of Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland said: "We are standing today with the residents of Islandmagee to protect this beautiful part of Northern Ireland. The destruction caused by this mining is landscape trauma. The gas caverns project is not wanted and is not welcome.
"Let’s be in no doubt that we will not be held to ransom to the fossil fuel companies that are behind this project. They are on the wrong side of history if they think they can drive through new fossil fuel infrastructure in a climate emergency ."
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