The Review of Raised Bog Natural Heritage Area Network was published in January 2014 and is available to download from my Department’s website at https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/general/Final%20NHA%20Review%2017%20January%202014.pdf. It 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 cessation from 1 January 2017 of turf cutting on 36 existing natural heritage areas, which will remain designated - this includes 7 sites to be divided, with part to be conserved and part de-designated.
- The complete de-designation of 46 natural heritage areas - including the relevant areas of the 7 sites to be divided - where it has been judged that their contribution to the attainment of the national conservation objective for raised bog is expected to be marginal and/or restoration would be prohibitively expensive for the conservation benefits achieved. Domestic turf cutting may continue on these sites, while larger scale or commercial turf cutting will continue to be regulated through other consent systems.
- The designation as natural heritage areas of 25 currently undesignated raised bogs, that are in public ownership or in respect of which there is reduced turf cutting pressure, so as to compensate for the loss of habitat within the sites where it is provided that turf cutting may continue.
The purpose of the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 is to provide for the implementation of this reconfiguration. The Bill has been presented to Dáil Éireann and has completed Committee Stage in that House.
