Damage to hedgerows and illegal, uncontrolled fires can cause harm to nature and wildlife as nesting and breeding season gets underway, the Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform warned today (Monday, February 26).
Minister Malcolm Noonan has urged members of the public to play their part in “protecting nature” by reporting any incidents or suspicious damage to vegetation such as hedgerows and scrub to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) or An Garda Siochána.
Legislation is in place that prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or other destruction of “vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch” between March 1 and August 31.
This is to primarily to protect bird life during the nesting season and to help prevent forest fires and to provide food for birds and animals.
Minister Noonan has highlighted that the NPWS is “stepping up its approach to fire prevention and detection” this year and will have increased capacity to monitor and respond to incidents.
“Where there evidence of offences is found, action will be taken and appropriate enforcement under wildlife legislation will be vigorously pursued,” he stressed.
Native woodland
According to the Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Ireland has a “relatively low cover of native woodland” which he said means that “hedgerows are critical infrastructure for nature”.
He has called on the public to “avoid lighting fires in nature settings”.
Illegal and uncontrolled fires have caused significant damage to protected areas and National Parks, notably Killarney National Park and Wicklow Mountains National Park in recent years.
“The NPWS is ready to respond in the months ahead. Aerial surveillance is a highly effective tool to prevent the outbreak of fire in our National Parks and Nature Reserves, and our ’eyes in the sky’ patrols will be busy – day and night – over the coming weeks and months.
“Initially, we will concentrate mainly on the west coast and south to Cork and Kerry, with close surveillance on Killarney National Park and our Nature Reserves in the West and South. We will also cover the Slieve Blooms and the Wicklow and Dublin Mountains,” Minister Noonan added.