The EU habitats directive requires member states to protect their most important natural areas and to prevent anything that would damage the ecology of these areas. The directive identifies active bogland as a priority for such protection.
There are two categories of active bogland affected by the directive's obligations. The blanket bogs of upland areas comprise about 200,000 hectares of our proposed SAC network, while raised or lowland bog comprises about 8,000 hectares of our proposed SACs.
Although both types of bog must be protected, clearly the position is more pressing in the case of raised bogs, given their relative rarity.
In blanket bogs proposed for SAC status, my Department is working towards the general objective of phasing out turf cutting within five to ten years. However, these areas are being looked at in detail to identify areas where cutting could continue for longer periods without compromising the integrity of larger intact areas. The results of this exercise will be made public shortly for the Connemara area, and other upland areas will then be looked at over the coming months.