Dr. James Moran:

I totally agree with the Deputy. The State has to take a lead here and demonstrate the possibilities. The two main landowners with responsibility for this are Coillte and Bord na Móna. Large areas of the Coillte estate are peatland that is not even afforested at the moment. There needs to be an ambitious nature restoration remit in respect of that land. We also need to look at the work on which Dr. Byrne is more expert than I, in terms of the failed afforestation on a large proportion of Coillte land. It is basically unharvestable because it was planted on peatland. There is a need to put in a restoration plan for that land which does not make the situation worse in terms of carbon but, rather, improves it, as well as having additional benefits for biodiversity and water storage. Many of these sites are in upland areas and get more intense rainfall. If we do the right thing in those areas and make a sponge of them, we will be alleviating flooding in the lowlands. The State has to take the lead on that, however. The National Parks and Wildlife Service also owns a large proportion of peatlands.

I am involved with the advisory group of the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. There has been much discussion on this issue in the past six months. I have been given great hope in terms of what the citizens have learned in the past six months and some of the recommendations that we will be debating and deciding on this weekend. We will have strong recommendations relating to the management of State land in terms of nature restoration, but also for climate benefit. One of the things that hampers this is the Forestry Act 1998 and the duties of Coillte in terms of its overriding production remit and the lack of an overriding responsibility to first manage this land in the interests of our survival as a society and to lead the way in terms of what is possible. It should be demonstrating the art of the possible on public lands in terms of nature restoration, water regulation and climate regulation. Some of the worst management in Europe is currently being demonstrated in respect of a significant proportion of public lands and has been demonstrated in respect of peatland for a number of decades. We must turn that around. We cannot ask the general public - farmers and individuals - to do certain things when they can currently look across their ditch and see the carry-on of Bord na Móna and Coillte in terms of the ongoing inappropriate management of these lands and this ongoing at the moment.