Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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233. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in respect of lands that have some designations under the hen harrier (details supplied) his view regarding this land being planted under the afforestation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23474/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There are a number of Special Protection Areas (SPA) designated for the protection of the hen harrier where restrictions apply to afforestation and other types of development. Any future afforestation within the SPAs must take into account the results of recent Hen Harrier breeding and distribution surveys, the availability of suitable habitat, existing forest cover, age profile of existing forests, and the effects of other types of developments on hen harrier populations.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is in the process of developing a Threat Response Plan (TRP) for the conservation of Hen harriers. Forestry will form a significant element of the plan, particularly in relation to overall forest restructuring. My Department is working with NPWS in the development of the TRP which will determine the circumstances in which afforestation, if any, might be accommodated in Hen harrier SPAs without impacting on the conservation of the species.