Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 is important legislation. The bringing forward of this Bill is a commitment in the programme for a partnership Government. Ireland has designated 75 natural heritage areas, NHAs, under national law for the protection of raised bog habitats. These sites complement the 53 areas of protected raised bog in Ireland which have been nominated for designation as special areas of conservation, SACs, in accordance with the EU habitats directive. Additional raised bog habitat within the natural heritage area network makes a contribution to maintaining or restoring these habitats to favourable conservation status.

Following an extensive process involving the examination of over 270 individual raised bogs, the review of the raised bog natural heritage area network was published in January 2014. It set out a series of measures to ensure Ireland meets its obligations under the habitats directive and the environmental impact assessment directive, while at the same time avoiding unintended impacts on the traditional rights of landowners and users, as well as minimising the cost to the State of compensation payments.

The review concluded that Ireland could more effectively achieve conservation of threatened raised bog habitat through focused protection and restoration of a reconfigured network. This would entail the phasing out of turf cutting on 36 existing NHAs which will remain designated. This includes seven sites to be divided with part to be conserved and part to be de-designated. The complete de-designation of 46 NHAs, including the relevant areas of the seven sites to be divided where it has been judged that the conservation potential is expected to be marginal or the restoration or both will be prohibitively expensive for the conservation benefits achieved. Domestic turf cutting may continue on the sites, while larger scale or commercial turf cutting will continue to be regulated through other consent systems. The designation as NHA of 25 currently undesignated raised bogs, which are in public ownership or where there is reduced turf cutting pressure, is to make up for the loss of habitat within the sites where it is proposed that turf cutting can be allowed to continue.

The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 provides for a review of raised bog habitats, making amendment and revocation of natural heritage area orders and, for those purposes, to amend the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. The Bill will provide for the implementation of a reconfiguration of the raised bog natural heritage area network, arising from the proposals from the review published in January 2014, an assessment of the effects on the environment of the proposals arising from the review and, if required, any other screening or an assessment, or, as the case may be, assessment undertaking, and observations or submissions received during the course of public consultation.

This Bill is an important part of our peatland strategy as we continue to deal with the need to protect the environment, live up to our EU obligations and work with landowners and turf cutters on whose lives these obligations can have a real impact. This legislation will allow for the raised bog natural heritage area network to be managed more effectively and in a more environmentally friendly manner. The reconfiguration of the network, which this legislation will facilitate, is based on sound scientific evidence and will have a positive impact. The Government’s approach is to work with the turf cutters affected in a practical and pragmatic fashion, while also working to ensure we are protecting the raised bog network and fulfilling our EU obligations. I will continue to play my part in the process.