Holly Cairns
Question:249. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the obligations of the NPWS on proposed natural heritage areas. [14574/20]
View answerTuesday, 7 July 2020
Questions (249)
Written answers
Section 16(1) of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 provides that where a Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is of the opinion that a site should be designated as a natural heritage area, he or she shall publish or cause to be published a notice of his or her intention to make an order designating the site as a natural heritage area. In doing so, the Minister shall have regard to whether, on the basis of the scientific advice available to him or her at a particular time, the site is worthy of conservation by virtue of its special scientific interest for one or more species, communities, habitats, landforms or geological or geomorphological features or for its diversity of natural attributes or in light of the requirements of the EU Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. Once a site has been proposed for designation in accordance with section 16(1) of the Act, it has legal protection under the natural heritage area provisions of that Act. These provisions are set out in Part III, Chapter II of the Act.
There are 630 proposed natural heritage areas in Ireland. Any review of some or all of these sites by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department, would be based on an analysis of the special scientific interest of each site or its diversity of natural attributes or in light of the requirements of the Birds and Habitats Directives. While such a review is foreseen, the current focus of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department is on fulfilling Ireland’s obligations under the Birds and Habitats Directives and the designation of Natura 2000 sites i.e. special areas of conservation and special protection areas.