Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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614. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total area designated exclusively as natural heritage areas, without any additional designation as special areas of conservation or special protection areas. [27701/15]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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615. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the process that must be adhered to in order to designate a natural heritage area; if any such areas have been de-designated in the past ten years; if a compensating designation mechanism can be explored to enable a de-designation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27702/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 614 and 615 together.

The process for the designation of sites as natural heritage areas is set out in the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. Under the provisions of section 16 of the Act, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht forms the intention to designate a natural heritage area, while the making of a natural heritage area order is carried out under the provisions of section 18.

Natural heritage areas are legally protected from damage from the date they are formally proposed for designation through a requirement to obtain my consent, as Minister, before certain potentially damaging activities are undertaken on the sites.

75 raised bogs, which are located mainly in the midlands, have been given legal protection as natural heritage areas, covering some 23,000 hectares. A further 73 blanket bogs, covering 37,000 hectares, mostly in western areas, are also designated as natural heritage areas.

While some natural heritage areas exist entirely or partly within candidate special areas of conservation or special protection areas, my Department estimates that some 45,873 hectares of land is solely designated within natural heritage areas.

In addition, there are 630 proposed natural heritage areas. While a review of these sites is foreseen, this will not take place in the immediate future, having regard to the available resources.

There have been no natural heritage areas de-designated in the last ten years.

In January 2014, the Review of Raised Bog Natural Heritage Area Network waspublished and concluded that Ireland could more effectively achieve conservation of threatened raised bog habitat through focused protection and restoration of a reconfigured network. This will entail the phasing out of turf-cutting on certain natural heritage areas by 1 January 2017 and the partial or complete de-designation of certain natural heritage areas.

46 natural heritage areas (including parts of 7 natural heritage areas) are scheduled for de-designation. To compensate for the loss of habitat within these sites where it is proposed that turf cutting can continue, 25 undesignated raised bogs, which are in public ownership or where there is reduced turf cutting pressure, will be designated as natural heritage areas. Compensation will be made available to affected turf cutters.

Regulatory change will be required to give full effect to the de-designation of the sites. The appropriate form of this change is being considered within my Department and I expect that the process will be completed by the end of the year.