The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has called for greater law enforcement after new data revealed that illegal turf-cutting remains a significant problem in Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated for raised bogs.
The records from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage show that 330 turf plots were cut in 2022, an increase from 290 in 2021.
Despite a ban on turf-cutting in SACs coming into force in 2011, last year saw this practice in 15 such areas, according to the IWT.
Illegal turf-cutting
Mining of peat accelerated in some bogs compared to 2021 such as Barroughter in Co. Galway, Corliskea/Trien/Cloonfelliv Bog in Galway/Roscommon and Mouds Bog in Kildare.
In 2022, the European Commission announced that it was renewing an infringement action against Ireland for failure to protect peatland SACs.
However, the IWT said that the commission itself has been slow to act while “irreparable damage continues to occur on the last of our ‘protected’ raised bogs”.
The IWT is calling on Minister of State at the Department of Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, to enforce the law.
“If people were walking out of the National Museum with priceless exhibits, we’d expect them to be stopped, yet there is a general sense of impunity when it comes to destruction of our natural heritage because the state is refusing to intervene,” the IWT has said.
“Raised bogs are globally unique habitats that are endangered with extinction. When fully functioning they are powerhouses of carbon storage and sequestration, water purification and regulation and are habitats to specially adapted species.
“However, our bogs are in dire condition and while some important restoration work is underway, not far from these sites, the exact opposite is happening under the watchful eye of the state,” the IWT added.
Irish Wildlife Trust
The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 as a charitable conservation body.
It provides information about wildlife; runs education and training programmes; carries out habitat and species surveys; campaigns and lobbies around biodiversity issues; restores natural habitats; consults with industry, agriculture and Local Authorities to maintain natural heritage; and contributes to national and international forums for the protection of biodiversity.
The IWT is a nationwide organisation with branches in Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Laois/Offaly, Limerick, Waterford and Monaghan.