The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has welcomed calls by the European Commission to halt peat-cutting activities within Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Ireland to enforce peatland protection.
Ireland was urged by the European Commission yesterday (Thursday, September 29) to take action to stop the continued cutting of peat in Natura 2000 sites, and instead restore these sites.
As these areas are designated to conserve raised bogs and blanket bogs under the Habitats Directive, the European Commission may decide to refer Ireland to the Court of Justice.
Commenting on the European Commission’s call, the IWT’s campaign officer, Pádraic Fogarty said EU money is being spent to restore raised bogs in some areas, however the state is turning a blind eye to the illegal destruction of others. He continued:
“It’s hard to believe that we are still seeing the destruction of vitally important habitats decades after we committed to protecting them, and over a decade since compensation packages were agreed with turf-cutters when the practice on raised bog SACs became illegal.”
Following a long dialogue with the Irish authorities, the European Commission issued an additional reasoned opinion and Ireland must now respond and take the necessary measures within two weeks.
Peat-cutting
In 1992, Ireland signed the Habitats Directive and agreed to protect some raised and blanket bog ecosystems in SACs, which was later transposed into Irish law and it was agreed that all turf-cutting on raised bog SACs would end in 2011, the IWT said.
Illegal turf-cutting had been underway on half of the 57 SACs in 2020, and about a third of these areas were targeted by turf-cutters last year, while the total number of plots cut was similar in both years, according to a Freedom of Information request by the IWT.
“No enforcement action has been taken by the state to stop this damage,” the IWT said while it currently is awaiting response on the extent of illegal turf-cutting on raised bog SACs this year.
The IWT continued: “The information received by the IWT shows that the state has been closely monitoring turf-cutting on raised bogs but has done nothing to stop illegal activity.
“At a time when we should be investing heavily in restoring peatlands as biodiversity and climate champions, instead we continue to see these areas being wilfully excavated because the state cannot muster an appropriate response.”
With regard to blanket bogs SACs, the European Commission acknowledged that there appears to be no regime controlling ongoing cutting, with the cutting for domestic use exempt from control.
The IWT has also raised the issue with Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, however the trust believes the EU’s intervention is “inadequate”.
“The lethargic response of the [European Commission] will mean by the time any action is taken, there will be little left worth protecting,” according to the IWT.