Special Areas of Conservation.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 June 2008

Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Ceisteanna (185)

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

240 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the method of selection of the Carnagopple/Gunnode bog at Mountbellew, Ballinasloe, County Galway for inclusion under the EU habitats directive 1992; the reason the bog was selected for inclusion; the person who carried out the on bog inspection; the date on which the inspection took place; the names of other bogs that were similarly investigated but were deemed to be ineligible for inclusion; the reason bog owners were not given a proper briefing on the way they could object to the inclusion of their bogs under the EU habitats directive 1992; the reason a number of other raised bogs in the area were not earmarked for inclusion in view of the poor quality of the turf contained therein; if his attention has been drawn to the outright opposition to the designation of this bog and others like it; if he will allow objections to be heard at an official appeals tribunal, public or private, before turf cutters are prohibited from cutting their 2009 crop of turf; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that the economics of preventing people from cutting their turf is immeasurably greater than it was 16 years ago when the directive was introduced in view of the fact that a barrel of crude oil is now costing almost $150 a barrel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24886/08]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy John Gormley)

Scientific assessment of this site dates back to the early 1970s when it was surveyed by An Foras Forbatha. The site was then surveyed in detail in 1984 as part of The National Raised Bog Survey (NPWS). The site features in the report The Raised Bogs of Ireland (1990), where it is compared to a number of other raised bog sites in Co. Galway. In 1995 the site was considered for selection as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive as part of a study (Kelly, Doak and Dromey 1995) carried out for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, now part of my Department. Broadly, the site can be characterised, from a scientific point of view, as being a raised bog, of the subgroup "western type", of moderate quality with the hydrology seriously damaged but with restoration of that damage being possible. This site was considered for SAC designation in conjunction with other similarly assessed sites in County Galway which included Lough Tee, Raford River, Derrynagran, Camderry, Kilsallagh, Cloonmore, Clooncullaun, Funshin, Lisnageeragh, Leaha, Moorfield and Keelogues. Some of these sites have been designated as SACs and other sites from this group have been designated as Natural Heritage Areas under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000.

The Directive does not require that all qualifying habitat be selected for SAC designation in any particular locality. Carrownagappal was considered to be the best representative sample in its immediate geographic area and as such was selected on scientific grounds and put forward for designation. This site merits SAC status on the basis of three qualifying interests under the Directive — Active Raised Bog, Degraded Raised Bog and Rhynchosporian depressions on peat substrates.

In March 1997, 86 landowners in the area proposed for designation were notified directly in writing and supplied with information on the scientific rationale for designation and on the objections procedure. The proposed designation of the site was also advertised in the Connacht Sentinel and the Galway Advertiser in March 1997. These advertisements indicated that there were procedures in place for objecting to the designation and advised on how to obtain further information. This notification/publicity exercise was supplemented by information supplied by regional staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. In all, 6 landowners objected — 3 were partly successful, 1 was unsuccessful and 2 withdrew their objections.

The statutory deadline for receipt of objections for inclusion/exclusion of land in this SAC has expired and no further objections can be accepted. I appreciate the escalating cost of fuel alternatives and envisage that an appropriate compensation mechanism will be applied in the context of the cessation of turf-cutting on designated bogs.