Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Jun 1993

Vol. 431 No. 8

Adjournment Debate. - Destruction of Wildlife Habitats.

Mr. Deasy:

Year in, year out I continue to raise this matter without receiving any response whatsoever. I am talking about the wholesale destruction of wildlife habitats in this country.

I raised this question originally this year in the middle of the nesting season. That was in April last when I tabled a question to the Minister for Finance. My question was not totally honest because I tabled it in the name of Deputy Timmins since my own quota for questions on Finance had been virtually exhausted that day. The answer given to the question was so irrelevant and insufficient I felt I had to raise it in the House on the Adjournment. My question referred to wildlife habitats in general, bird nesting in particular, and the destruction of the specific areas in which these wildlife species breed.

The reply consisted of five different parts, the first referring to all the protection afforded wildlife in our national parks. That does not consist even of 5 per cent of the total area of the country. The second part of the reply stated that the Office of Public Works, whose responsibility it is to protect wildlife, do so in conjunction with landowners. That is a complete misnomer since that does not happen. The third part of the reply refers to something of which we have all long been aware, which is that one cannot light fires within a mile of any forestry. This law has obtained since the year of dot. It was not the information I was seeking in my question.

The fourth part of the reply stated that, under section 40 of the Wildlife Act, it is an offence to destroy, by burning or otherwise between 15 April and 31 August, vegetation grown on any land not being cultivated for agriculture or forestry.

There is no control in regard to the burning or cutting of vegetation, be it hedgerows or other habitats. Never have I seen such destruction as I saw this year during the bird nesting and breeding season when mountain sides were set alight, particularly in the month of April and the first two weeks of May when vegetation was dry. It is a disgrace that we are not protecting wildlife habitats. As a result entire species are being destroyed. Because of our neglect the 1976 Wildlife Act means nothing; it is not worth the paper it is written on. If we are not prepared to implement the law we would be better off scrapping it.

We speak about interpretative centres in Mullaghmore and other areas but because of our neglect the most valuable part of our heritage is being wilfully destroyed. I am raising the matter in the House today to have a stop put to this. First and foremost, the wildlife section should not be operating under the auspices of the Department of Finance but rather the Department of the Environment. A realistic effort should be made to safeguard wildlife because entire species of song birds and other wildlife are being wiped out. These include the skylark, grouse, woodcock and other birds which live in rough woodland, undergrowth and on the mountain side. As things stand they do not have a chance because of our neglect.

I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher who is deputising for the Minister for Finance, to do something. I am aware that it is the intention of the Government to amend the Wildlife Act but these amendments could just be as worthless. The Minister of State should see to it that wildlife is protected because at present no back-up services are provided. The legislation has had no effect. I want us to reach a stage where wildlife is genuinely protected.

Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. Gallagher,

Donegal South-West): Tá áthas orm freagra a thabhairt don Teachta Deasy ar an cheist thábhachtach seo.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department is responsible for the implementation of the Wildlife Act, 1976, which provides a measure of protection for flora and fauna and their habitats. In areas that the Office of Public Works has control e.g. national parks, nature reserves and refuges for fauna, there is strict protection for wildlife habitats and species.

There are provisions under the Wildlife Act which prohibit the burning of vegetation growing within one mile of a wood which is not the property of such person, or a nature reserve or refuge for fauna. Deputy Deasy made reference to the Department of the Environment and I am sure that it could play an important role in this regard.

With regard to the cutting of hedgerows I have arranged that the National Parks and Wildlife Service write to all the county councils pointing out our concern and asking them to take due care of bird nesting places at this time of year. I also take this opportunity to appeal to the public to take care at this time and show some consideration for our birds and wildlife. Conservation of habitats is a vital element in any wildlife conservation programme.

The Office of Public Works is also committed to the conservation of Irish peatlands. Its target is to conserve 10,000 hectares of raised bog and 40,000 of blanket bog. It has acquired to date 2,200 hectares of raised bog and 20,700 hectares of blanket bog with assistance from the EC. The area under its control is increasing annually. The Government has made a further £550,000 available in 1993 for land acquisition for parks and wildlife and provides matching funds to take full advantage of the relevant EC financial regulations.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service also implements the Birds Directive and 20 special protection areas have been designated. It is hoped to designate 12 more with a view to advancing Ireland's obligations under this Directive. This will provide for the protection of the habitats of endangered bird species and for the prevention of excessive disturbance of the species in these areas. From 1994 we will also be obliged to implement the Habitats Directive in addition to various conventions and international agreements to ensure that sites of international importance are protected.

There is also a scheme underway to designate a million and a quarter acres of land, that is, about 7 per cent of the territory of the State as new natural heritage areas. These are the most important areas for conservation of Ireland's native flora and fauna. They will include raised bogs, blanket bogs, sand dune systems, wetlands, estuaries, important bird areas, woodlands and other areas of nature conservation interest.

One of the main reasons for the scheme is to safeguard the most important areas with regard to nature conservation of our countryside. Farmers will be notified of where the areas are and why it is important to conserve them. There will be consultation on boundaries and farmers will be able to benefit, through the extension of the environmentally sensitive areas scheme. This is being dealt with by the Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry. It is also hoped to bring in legislation giving statutory protection to these natural heritage areas.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service maintains close links with a wide variety of public and private organisations with a view to advancing conservation measures. It also carries out an important role in furthering public awareness of the importance of our wildlife heritage and the need for protection of our wildlife habitats.

Mr. Deasy:

There is no point in having laws if they are not enforced.