Vol. 430 No. 3
98 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Finance the areas of scientific interest which he so designated under the Wildlife Act; if he will give details of areas which have not been designated but are under consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Areas of scientific interest are not formally designated under the Wildlife Act. These areas were originally identified by An Foras Forbatha in the late seventies as areas worthy of conservation. This work is now carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Office of Public Works. Over 1,600 sites representing many different habitats have been identified as ASI's. Maps and an index of areas are published by the Office of Public Works.
The Supreme Court yesterday in a preliminary judgement ruled that the process of designating Areas of Scientific Interest was not in accordance with natural and constitutional justice. I will be examining the implications of the judgment as soon as the full text becomes available.
Government approval was given in December last year to designate a million and a quarter acres of land as Natural Heritage Areas.
As a first step in this process areas formerly known as Areas of Scientific Interest will be re-surveyed. This involves up-dating existing boundaries, re-mapping sites and formally designating them as Natural Heritage Areas if they meet the necessary criteria.
