Between the need to reduce - rather than increase - air travel and the pressing need to conserve biodiversity, this decision is most welcome.

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The Minister for the Environment has now refused FIE's request to stop the ongoing unauthorised industrial peat extraction at our test case site in Westmeath because ‘Regional management has reported that there is no evidence of significant or measurable impacts'. The files obtained by FIE under Access to Information on the Environment show that National Parks and Wildlife Regional management had in fact commission a Report from their Ranger that said exactly the opposite - ‘While the activities carried out by this company are not being carried out within the European Site or NHA, I believe that they are likely to have an adverse effect on the integrity of the SPA alone and in combination with other activities.' This is not the first time FIE has found the Parks and Wildlife Service misleading the Minister as increasing evidence is being brought to us by the public that systemic problems within the National Parks and Wildlife Service management are leading to persistent infringements of European Directives allowing wholesale and devastating damage to protected sites throughout Ireland.

Read the letter | Visit our peat section

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FIE has warned that if Government does not end the ‘derogations' for turf cutting on nature conservation sites it will face a judicial review.

In our submission to Minister for the Environment John Gormley on his Cessation of Turf-Cutting Scheme, we show that the ‘derogations' which began following the prolonged and strenuous objection from turf cutters after the publication of the list of SAC raised bog sites in 1997 are illegal.

There is no provision in the Habitats Directive allowing Member States to derogate from the site protection provisions of the Directive as the government has done. The Habitats Directive imposes a very strict protection regime in respect of protected sites. The true situation is that the Government unilaterally arrogated unto itself the power to impose, selectively, the terms of the habitats directive, when it has no such legal right.

Read the submission | Our Press Release | The Irish Times coverage

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Dear County Manager;

We write to you in relation to a letter you received from Oonagh Buckley, then Director of the National Parks and Wildlife, dated 10 January 2008 enclosing documentation relating to the proposed Special Protection Area(s) for the Hen harrier within your County boundaries.

In the course of this letter, Ms Buckley stated:

‘However, with regard to the Hen harrier the scientific advice available to the Minister suggests that the development of single rural dwellings does not in general represent a threat to Hen harrier or its habitat.'

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A Ministerial Instruction from the Department of Environment to nine County Managers instructing them not to refuse one-off houses in Special Protection Areas for the Hen harrier was based on ‘scientific advice' that did not exist. FIE investigated the letter which claimed that ‘the scientific advice available to Minister suggests that development of single rural dwellings does not in general represent a threat to the Hen harrier or its habitat. ‘

In response to a request under Access to Information on the Environment, the Department admitted that no such scientific advice existed. In fact, internal Department emails shows ‘one off housing having gone beyond acceptable levels in particular sites.'

FIE has now written to the County Managers involved - Kerry, Limerick, Cork, Clare, Galway, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Tipperary, and Monaghan - informing them that they must ensure that any planning permissions for one-off houses must be subject to a suitable assessment and that there may indeed be cases in which permission will need to be refused.

Press Release   |   Documentation   |   Full submission on the Hen harrier designation process

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Read about the extraordinary removal of more than 100,000 hectares of land that should have been protected for the endangered Hen harrier. Be astonished by the documentation showing how the Minister then responsible for the designations - Eamon O Cuiv - gave Brussels ‘inflexible and unreasonable' attitude towards the Habitats Directive as a reason for voting NO in the Nice Referendum in 2001. Are we surprised then by the massive IFA public meetings that led to the banning of Duchas [The Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment] representatives from farms and Duchas's closure by the Cabinet in 2003? The designations were slashed to allow afforestation to continue when forestry represents at best only a temporary habitat and replaces a permanent habitat for these birds. Key habitats were excluded, and 10,000 hectares more forestry was permitted in protected areas which are already at carrying capacity due to existing forestry.

Read the submission.    |    See the maps showing the vanishing Hen harrier.

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Maurice O'Meara, General Manager,
Killarney Golf & Fishing Club,
Mahoney's Point,
Killarney,
County Kerry
23 February 2009

By fax only: 064 6633065
Re: Tree Felling

Dear Sir;

On foot of telephone calls from angry members of the public, we examined the felling which has recently taken place of the heritage trees which formed part of a 19th century planned landscape on the shores of Lough Lein, (Lough Leane) Killarney, one of the major tourist attractions in Ireland.

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Irish environmental groups have called for a moratorium on wind farm constructions on bog sites until Best Practice Guidelines for construction on peatlands are in place. A landslide in the Stacks Mountains in County Kerry in August has now been followed by a further landslide in County Leitrim. The Shannon Regional Fisheries Board has confirmed that both of these bogslides have led to extensive juvenile fish kills and destruction of the aquatic environment. The two slides occurred while roads were under construction on raised peat lands. The roads are to facilitate the construction of wind farms. 

Read the Press Release  |   The Letter to the Minister for the Environment    |   The Letter to the Minister for Energy    |    Photos   |  Video of Owengar Spill   |  European Court Judgment

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Eamonn Ryan, TD,
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources,
29 Adelaide Road,
Dublin 2,
3 October 2008
minister.ryan@dcenr.gov.ie

Re: Moratorium on upland wind farm construction

Dear Minister;

We write as a group of local and national environmental organizations who have come together to try and stop the environmental damage that is being done to our bogs through the construction of the present generation of wind farms.

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John Gormley, TD,
Minister for the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government,
Customs House,
Dublin 1
minister@environ.ie
3 October 2008

Re: Moratorium on upland wind farm construction

Dear Minister,

We write to you as a group of local and national environmental organisations who have come together to seek an end to the severe damage to upland bog habitats and freshwater ecosystems that have been repeatedly occurring through the construction of the present generation of wind farms.

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Kerry's Mayor Michael Healy-Rae's call for the Kerry slug to ‘go to hell' has been met with a vigorous response from FIE. FIE submitted a report to the Minister for the Environment in February of last year which, with many other representations, led to the Minister instructing the NRA to seek a route for the N22 that would avoid Cascade Woods, a habitat for many species, including the protected Kerry slug.

Speaking to Radio Kerry about the delay, Healy-Rae said ‘Its about time that we got our priorities right and leave the snails go to hell and mind our people.'

In fact the Route Selection Report stated that restrictions resulting from an ongoing dispute between the Irish Farmers Association and the National Roads Authority led to landowners denying access to farmland to undertake survey work for the proposed road.

If the survey had taken place the route could have been shifted, allowing both the woodland and the road to coexist. In this case and in the case of other road projects like the Kildare By-pass there has been a wholly unjustified and deliberate attempt to stigmatise species like slugs and snails when the real issue is the preservation of Ireland's fast-vanishing natural heritage.

Read our Press release

Interview on Radio Kerry

Report on Cascade Woods

See also the report on the Kildare Bypass and ‘the snail'

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In its submission to the Biodiversity Action Plan 2008 - 2012, FIE is seeking to have the educational awareness funding targeted at conflict areas in the nature designation process. A recent EU poll showed that Ireland ranked last in awareness of biodiversity throughout the EU.

These designations and the protection they afford are the primary concern of the European Commission's fights against species loss - yet pressure by farmers and land owners unaware of the importance of biodiversity has led to cutbacks in designations.

Read the Press Release

Read the Submission

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The environmental lobby group Friends of the Irish Environment have urged the Minister for the Environment to target ‘conflict areas' in its Biodiversity Action Plan.

As the period for public consultation closes, FIE has drawn the Minister's attention to the recent EU poll which showed that Ireland ranked last in awareness of biodiversity throughout the EU.

The group claims that ‘the impact of this situation is inescapable and has resulted in widespread conflict situations arising as the requirements of key European Environmental Directives are begin enforced by the Commission.'

 The group told the Minister that the ‘environment' has become is a dirty word in many parts of Ireland.

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In 9 out of the 10 parts of the case brought against Ireland over the country's failure to protect birds, the European Court of Justice has found against Ireland.

With the exception of one issue of legal transposition, the Court has found that:

• Ireland was wrong to exclusion parts of both Sandymount Strand and Tolka Estuary SPA from protection

• Protective measures taken by Ireland are partial, isolated measures, only some of which promote conservation of the bird populations and which do not constitute a coherent whole.

• Ireland has an inadequate number and size of areas classified for the protection of the  red-throated diver, hen harrier, merlin, peregrine falcon, golden plover, short-eared owl, dunlin, kingfisher, and corncrake.

• Irish law must be changed to ensure that recreational activities - such as jet skies - do not damage bird habitats.

• National Plans, such as the National Forestry Plan, must now be subject to an assessment that ensures that protected wild birds will not be damaged.

• All individual forestry planting applications, either inside a designated area or likely to have an effect on them, must now be assessed regardless of size when previously only those of 50 hectares or more had to be assessed.

• All aquaculture projects, regardless of size must now have their negative effects on birdlife assessed before being given approval

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Friends are supporting an URGENT CALL to revoke the new Waterford Estuary Regulations which permits any licensed boat with suitable gear to dredge in the Estuary, an EU protected nature designation site.

Both Dundalk and Waterford estuary were opened this summer to suction dredging without any consultation with other stakeholders and no 'appropriate ecological impact assessment' - even though this is required under the EU Habitat Directive. 

The Regulations were signed on 21st July 2007 but they can be set aside by either house within 28 sitting Dail days.

Read the Coastwatch Press Release and background information.

And contact your TD - LoCall phone the Dail switchboard

on 1890 337 889 and ask for your TD - NOW!

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Press Release from Coastwatch Ireland

Coastwatch calling for immediate halt to cockle dredging, as damage in Waterford estuary Natura 2000 site is mounting.

Boats are out every day now systematically sucking up and sieving sand and mud of inner Waterford estuary to extract cockles. The area is designated under EU law as Natura 2000 site for international protection - yet it is being destroyed under our eyes - warned Coastwatch.

Coastwatch has been trying to halt the dredging without success.

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