Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 476: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason Nure Bog, County Westmeath, was designated a national heritage area in September 2005; the rationale and criteria used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41087/11]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 477: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he intends facilitating domestic turf cutters on Nure Bog, County Westmeath, after 2013, in view of the fact that this is within his power; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41088/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 476 and 477 together.

Nure Bog Natural Heritage Area (NHA), Site No. 001725, was designated on 20 September 2005 by way of Statutory Instrument 589 of 2005. It is one of 75 NHAs designated for the protection of raised bog habitat. The site was selected as a prospective NHA in 2002 following a review of 136 sites previously identified as the most important sites for this habitat in Ireland. The review was based on extensive survey work going back to the early 1980s.

The sites were assessed using NHA Survey Site Reports (1993-1995), the report The Raised Bogs of Ireland (Cross,1990), and field survey work undertaken from 1983 to 1987. From these site accounts, the presence of features - such as pools, hummock/ hollow complexes, flushes and characteristic indicator species - were noted as indications of active peat formation. Using aerial photographs, the high bog areas and any visible features such as flushes and pools were mapped and measured. Drains, areas of burning and forestry on the high bog, along with active peat cutting, were also recorded. Land use and drainage in the cutover bog was recorded and the cutover assessed for regeneration potential.

The specific criteria used to select raised bogs of conservation importance were as follows:

1. Location/peat archive

2. Past ratings as to the ecological importance of the site

3. Active peat formation: hummock/ hollows, sphagnum species

4. High bog area (>60ha)

5. Integrity: percentage of original high bog remaining

6. Habitat diversity: pools, flushes, soaks, bog woodland and semi-natural margins

7. Geomorphology (geohydrology): basin, ridge, floodplain

8. Geology

9. Climatic variation

10. Proximity to Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and NHAs, especially other raised bog sites.

The sites were also assessed to determine their conservation status, including their restoration potential for active raised bog, and for the presence of important flora and fauna.

Nure Bog was selected for designation due to its size and its relatively good ecological condition. While it does not currently have any active bog habitat on the high bog, it does possess most of the species characteristic of the habitat and has active bog regeneration on parts of the cutover. In addition, it has good prospects for the reinstatement of active bog on the high bog with reasonable restoration effort.

In 2010, the then Government decided that turf-cutting should come to an end on such sites at the end of 2013. However, the current Programme for Government contains a commitment to undertake a review of the situation with regard to NHAs and the future of turf-cutting on such sites will be considered as part of that review in advance of the 2014 cutting season. For 2012, turf-cutters on this bog can continue to extract turf, as before, for their own domestic supply.