Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 July 2019
971. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 777 of 25 June 2019, if her Department has responsibility for and-or an obligation under its statutory responsibilities for species and habitat management to take a proactive role in the protection of fauna from harmful levels of predation by other species. [31226/19]
View answerMy Department has a role in relation to the conservation of habitats and species which is achieved in part through the designation of Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Natural Heritage Areas under European and national legislation. My Department works with farmers, other landowners and users, and national and local authorities, to achieve the best balance possible between farming and land-use on the one hand, and requirements for conserving nature in these selected areas, on the other. Details of these conservation areas are provided in the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department at https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites. My Department has also a role in relation to the conservation of habitats and species under the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 and the Wildlife Acts 2016 to 2018.
As outlined in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 777 of 25 June 2019, there is a facility under Section 42 of the Wildlife Acts whereby permission may be obtained on a case by case basis, to prevent serious damage caused by certain animals and species and such damage could include damage to other fauna.
