Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 3 Nov 1994

Vol. 446 No. 7

Written Answers. - Natural Heritage Areas.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

119 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Finance the reason field work on the survey of natural heritage areas was halted before all the sites had been surveyed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2920/94]

The contract phase of boundary survey work on areas of scientific interest was halted in June 1994, after two and a half years at an estimated cost of £2.5 million. At that stage 89 per cent of sites had been surveyed by contract ecologists or experienced National Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers.

It was necessary to start designating natural heritage areas as the rural environment protection scheme, announced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, was made available to farmers on 1 June 1994. If farmers were not notified that their land was in an NHA they would not be eligible for the top-up payment under REPS. I feel that this would be grossly unfair to farmers, whom, at the end of the day, we are depending on to protect those sites that are so important for nature conservation.
In the case of all sites which were not formally surveyed, experienced ecologists reviewed the boundaries on the basis of a desk study. Wildlife Rangers have since visited most of the sites and the sites will be visited by staff ecologists as soon as resources permit. I should also point out that all of the sites being designated were originally selected by ecologists of the Wildlife Service or An Foras Forbartha.
Top
Share