Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Josepha Madigan.

Ireland, like all EU member states, is bound by the requirements of the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. They are the cornerstone of the EU’s nature conservation policy and establish the EU wide Natura 2000 ecological network of protected areas. These directives aim to ensure the protection of habitats and species which have been selected for conservation within special areas of conservation and special protection areas.These directives have been transposed into national law by the European Communities (Birds and Natural habitats) Regulations 2011, the Wildlife Acts and the Planning Acts. In Ireland, 439 sites have been selected for conservation as special areas of conservation while 154 sites have been selected for conservation as special protection areas.

The Gearagh, which is located approximately 2 km south-west of Macroom, County Cork, comprises a stretch of the River Lee that was dammed in the 1950s as part of a hydroelectric scheme. According to the site synopsis, the principal habitat is a shallow lake or reservoir which is fringed by wet woodland, scrub and grassland that is prone to flooding. Alluvial forest occurs on islands within the site. The Gearagh was selected for conservation as a special area of conservation in March 1997. It was also designated as a special protected area in 1996. The site is a statutory nature reserve in the ownership of the ESB. The qualifying interests of the special area of conservation site are floating river vegetation, old oak woodlands, alluvial forests and the otter. Despite about half the original area having been destroyed, the Gearagh still represents the only extensive alluvial woodland in Ireland, Great Britain or west of the River Rhine in Europe.

In response to a complaint lodged with the European Commission and the subsequent pilot infringement case relating to concerns over apparent erosion on the River Lee downstream of Toons Bridge at the western extent of the Gearagh special area of conservation where there is an extensive area of alluvial woodland, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government convened a working group of key stakeholders for the Gearagh site in 2016, comprising representatives from that Department, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Cork County Council and the ESB. The group agreed that a scoping exercise was required to identify damage that appeared to be occurring within the alluvial woodland of the Gearagh. The ESB carried out this exercise and the report of the scoping exercise was published in 2017. It proposed a number of recommendations, including monitoring surveying and studies on the site to establish baseline data and for the development of a management plan. Work commenced on the implementation of these recommendations in November 2017. To date, terrestrial laser scanning of the main channel flowing through the Gearagh site has been completed. Locations for a hydrometric gauge and depth loggers have been identified with installation due for completion by the end of this summer.

The carrying out of these studies is to establish a baseline of robust data for the area. It is expected that the period of monitoring will be for a minimum of two years. The aim is to define the presence or absence of any erosive or other abnormal changes within the alluvial woodland of the Gearagh. If no such impacts are evident, it can be concluded that the objective of the conservation of the alluvial woodland within the area is being achieved and no further measures will be necessary. If evidence of erosive impacts is found, it is intended that a management plan will be developed with targeted physical restoration measures aimed at reducing the risk to the integrity and functioning of the alluvial woodland within the special area of conservation.

Based on ongoing consultation between the ESB and the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, further scientific studies are planned for the eastern section of the Gearagh site. These will encompass monthly bird surveys, botanical studies around the periphery of the reservoir and drone photography of the reservoir substrate revealed during low water. These studies are at the scoping and procurement stage.