Special Areas of Conservation

Thursday, 10 February 2022

Questions (298)

Holly Cairns

Question:

298. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the activities that are currently regulated by either licence or permit in the Lough Hyne marine nature reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7369/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The activities currently regulated by either licence or permit in the Lough Hyne Nature Reserve are set in two Designations Orders: the European Union Habitats (Lough Hyne Nature Reserve and Environs Special Area of Conservation 000097) Regulations 2021 and the Nature Reserve (Lough Hyne) Regulations, 1981. The regulated activities are listed in the tables below.

European Union Habitats (Lough Hyne Nature Reserve and Environs Special Area of Conservation 000097) Regulations 2021

ARC Code	Activities requiring Consent (ARC)
ARC 01	Reclamation, including infilling
ARC 03	Blasting, drilling, dredging or otherwise removing or disturbing fossils, rock, minerals, mud, sand, gravel or other sediment.
ARC 05	Cutting, uprooting or otherwise removing plants. [Consent is not required for harvesting of cultivated crops, or for grazing or mowing.]
ARC 06	Introduction, or re-introduction, of plants or animals not found in the area. [Consent is not required for the planting of crops on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land.]
ARC 08	Undertaking scientific research involving the collection and removal of biological material.
ARC 09	Construction or alteration of tracks, paths, roads, bridges, culverts or access routes.
ARC 10	Construction, removal or alteration of fences, stone walls, hedgerows, banks or any field boundary other than temporary electric fencing. [Consent is not required for normal maintenance.]
ARC 11	Digging, ploughing, harrowing or otherwise disturbing soil or substrate. [Consent is not required for these activities on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 50m from a river, stream, floodplain, wetland, lake, turlough or pond.]
ARC 12	Applying inorganic or organic fertiliser, including slurry and farmyard manure. [Consent is not required for these activities on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 20m from a river, stream or floodplain; or greater than 50m from a wetland, lake, turlough or pond.]
ARC 13	Applying lime. [Consent is not required for this activity on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 20m from a river, stream or floodplain; or greater than 50m from a wetland, lake, turlough or pond.]
ARC 14	Storage, burial, disposal or recovery of any materials. [Consent is not required for these activities on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 20m from a river, stream or floodplain; or greater than 50m from a wetland, lake, turlough or pond.]
ARC 15	Burning, topping, clearing scrub or rough vegetation or reseeding. [Consent is not required for these activities on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 20m from a river, stream or floodplain; or greater than 50m from a wetland, lake, turlough or pond.]
ARC 18	Application of pesticides, including herbicides. [Consent is not required for these activities on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 20m from a river, stream or floodplain; or greater than 50m from a wetland, lake, turlough or pond.]
ARC 19	Supplementary feeding of livestock. [Consent is not required for this activity on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 20m from a river, stream or floodplain; or greater than 50m from a wetland, lake, turlough or pond.]
ARC 20	Significant changes in livestock density (including introduction of grazing), changes in livestock type or grazing season, other than on established reseeded grassland. [Consent is not required for changes of less than 20% in livestock density unless notice has been given that a lower percentage is applicable to a particular site.]
ARC 24	Works on, or alterations to, the banks, bed or flow of a drain, watercourse or waterbody.
ARC 25	Drainage works including digging, deepening, widening or blocking a drain, watercourse or waterbody.
ARC 28	Felling of trees or removing timber, including dead wood.
ARC 29	Planting of trees or multi-annual bioenergy crops.
ARC 31	Developing or consenting to the development or operation of commercial recreational/visitor facilities or organised recreational activities.
ARC 36	Harvesting marine invertebrate species in intertidal areas.
ARC 37	Driving mechanically propelled vehicles in intertidal areas, except over prescribed access routes.

Nature Reserve (Lough Hyne) Regulations, 1981

Regulation Number	Description of Regulation
3. (1)	A person shall not operate any craft, vehicle or vessel with a mechanical power greater than 10 horse power on or above, or in, or above the surface of the water covering, the land to which this Regulation applies save under and in accordance with a permission in writing granted in that behalf by the Minister.
7	No person shall use any part of the reserve for a regatta, water-skiing, skin-diving or scuba-diving save under and in accordance with a permission in writing granted in that behalf by the Minister.
8. (1) (a)	A member of the public shall not, while in the reserve, hunt or by any means wilfully injure or kill any specimen of fauna save under and in accordance with a permission in writing in that behalf granted by the Minister.
8. (1) (b)	A member of the public shall not take into or remove from the reserve any specimen of fauna save under and in accordance with such a permission in that behalf and so granted.
8. (1) (c)	A member of the public shall not, while in the reserve, cut, pick, uproot or otherwise take flora of any species or any part of a specimen of such a species save under and in accordance with such a permission in that behalf and so granted.
8. (1) (d)	A member of the public shall not, while in the reserve, wilfully alter or otherwise interfere with the habitat of any species of fauna or flora save under and in accordance with such a permission in that behalf and so granted.