Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My amendment No. 11 provides that a review of natural heritage areas will take into account the carbon sequestration potential of bog habitats and the actions relevant to bog habitats contained in a national plan or plan for the island of Ireland concerning reversing pollinator decline. I am conscious of the benefits of the restoration of peatlands for Ireland's commitments under international climate change targets. Functioning peatlands capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the form of peat and vegetation. The all-Ireland pollinator plan for 2015 to 2020 includes a strategy to address pollinator decline and protect pollination services on the island of Ireland. It was developed by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and is supported by a wide range of stakeholders North and South, including my Department, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Heritage Council and public bodies in Northern Ireland. It puts forward a set of actions to benefit pollinators throughout the island and creates a framework to bring together pollinator initiatives from different areas. The objective, through this type of co-ordination and co-operation, is to improve the situation for pollinators.The Government amendment addresses the concerns of the Senators on this issue and, therefore, I will not be accepting this amendment.

I have tabled amendment No. 11 in response to amendments proposed on Committee Stage by Senators Higgins and Kelleher and by Senators Paddy Burke, Mulherin, O'Mahony and Ó Céidigh. The amendment provides that the purposes of a review of the natural heritage area will take into account the "carbon sequestration potential of bog habitats and [...] actions, relevant to bog habitats, contained in a national plan or [...] plan for the island of Ireland for the time being concerning the reversal of pollinator decline", as well as the nature conservation objectives of maintaining bog habitats at, or restoring bog habitats to, a favourable conservation status, as already provided for in the Bill. Functioning peatlands, including restored peatlands, capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the form of peat and vegetation. The all-Ireland pollinator plan includes a strategy to address pollinator decline and protect pollination services on the island of Ireland. It is therefore considered appropriate to include these matters within a review of the natural heritage area, while at the same time allowing for the most degraded peatlands, with little or no restoration potential, to be taken out of the natural heritage area network.

The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 strikes a balance between the needs to maintain or restore bog habitats to a favourable conservation status, to live up our EU obligations, and to work with landowners and turf cutters. Bearing this in mind, there may be grounds for amending the boundary of a natural heritage area site to exclude appropriate recreational or sporting facilities, so long as areas of active bog habitat within a site can be maintained and areas of degraded bog habitat can be restored. There may also be opportunities to develop recreational facilities, such as walking routes or greenways, within natural heritage areas, building upon existing routes within these sites. Local communities are already working with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department in this regard in respect of a number of protected raised bog sites. I have also ensured that any regard to recreational and sporting needs appropriate to bog habitats in a review of natural heritage areas will be subject to a strategic environmental assessment, including public consultation and the carrying out of any other screening for an assessment or, as the case may be, assessment if required.

On the advice of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, the amendment does not refer to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 but to "a national plan or, as the case may be, plan for the island of Ireland for the time being concerning the reversal of pollinator decline". I emphasise that the purpose of a review of natural heritage areas, NHAs, would include contributing to the achievement of nature conservation objectives for bog habitats by selecting the most suitable bog habitats to be designated or to cease to be designated using the criteria provided for in the Bill and taking into account the carbon sequestration potential of bog habitats and actions relevant to bog habitats contained in a national plan or, as the case may be, plan for the island of Ireland for the time being concerning the reversal of pollinator decline, as provided for in the amendment. These would all be components of any review of bog habitats.

In any NHA review, including the 2014 NHA review of raised bogs, which is to be completed, a strategic environmental assessment must be undertaken and public consultation as well as, for example, a screening for an appropriate assessment or, as the case may be, an appropriate assessment under the birds or habitats directive, as required, carried out. I also stress that the provisions of the Bill already provide that the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht cannot make an order to de-designate an NHA, whether a raised bog or blanket bog site, without first having regard to any environmental assessment undertaken and observations or submissions received during public consultation.

As the Senator has said, amendment No. 12 is a consequential amendment arising from amendment No. 10. I have tabled an amendment to the Bill which provides that the purposes of a review of the natural heritage area will also take into account the carbon sequestration of bog habitats and actions relevant to bog habitats contained in the national plan or plan for the island of Ireland for the time being concerning the reversal of pollinator decline. I am conscious of the benefits of the restoration of peatlands, including the benefits for Ireland's commitments under international climate change targets and the fact that functioning peatlands capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the form of peat and vegetation. The all-Ireland pollinator strategy includes a strategy to address pollinator decline and protect pollination services on the island of Ireland. As I have said, the plan was developed by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and is supported by a wide range of stakeholders, North and South. The Government amendment addresses the concerns of Senators on this issue and, therefore, I will not be accepting the amendment.

The effect of amendment No. 13 would be to limit the provisions of the Bill to raised bog habitats only. The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, as initiated, has been amended in Dáil Éireann and has been debated in committee. It provides for the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to conduct a review or reviews of blanket bog natural heritage areas, at his or her discretion, as well as to complete the 2014 review of raised bog habitats. As I have previously emphasised, such a review of blanket bog natural heritage areas would not be carried out in a vacuum. I went through this earlier in respect of amendment No. 9. The same points apply in this regard and, therefore, I will not be accepting this amendment.

With regard to amendment No. 14, section 16(6) of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 refers to "special scientific interest " in the process of proposing sites for designation as natural heritage areas under the Act. Section 16(6) is also specifically referred to in the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 with regard to the criteria to be taken into account in selecting the most suitable bog habitats to be designated as natural heritage areas. To ensure that the selection process for the inclusion of sites in the reconfigured raised bog NHA network adopted a sustainable approach, the selection criteria, which include the primary environmental and technical factors essential for a raised bog existence now and into the future, also included economic and social criteria. The environmental, technical, and socioeconomic criteria used for the raised bog natural heritage area review were given equal weighting and in all categories, the highest scores were given to the most favourable of sites, which were those with the best existing environmental standing and restoration potential and which would represent the most socially appropriate and economically advantageous investment. At the same time, each site was examined by Department staff from a nature conservation and management perspective to ensure that the final outcomes of the selection process were practicable and achievable. I envisage that the undertaking of a future review or reviews of the blanket bog NHAs would follow a similar sustainable approach, in accordance with the provisions of the Bill. I therefore see no need to specifically refer to section 16(6) of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 in the criteria to be taken into account when selecting the most suitable bog habitats to cease to be designated as NHAs, as referred to in the Bill. As already provided for in the Bill, these criteria include environmental criteria, restoration potential, and national, regional, and local economic, social and cultural needs. It is also proposed to include recreational and sporting needs, including greenways appropriate to bog habitats, in these criteria by way of amendment to the Bill. I will therefore not be accepting amendment No. 14.