P r e s s R e l e a s e

Greening the Maastricht Treaty

For immediate release 6 December 1996

Peatlands represent one of the most important habitats occuring in Ireland today. The former extent of our peatlands was 1,178,798ha. Today 82% of the area has been developed for forestry, agriculture and peat harvesting with only 18% remaining in a near natural state.

Weaknesses exist in current legislation which result in damage to conservation worthy peatland sites by developers. At present 86% of our remaining conservation worthy bogs are legally unprotected. Many of these legislative weaknesses may be traced back to the Maastricht Treaty and its failure to make sustainable development a paramount objective of the EU and to integrate sustainability into all policy areas.

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council would like the following proposals to be incorporated into an amendment of the Maastricht Treaty:

* To make sustainable development a paramount objective of the EU.

* To co-ordinate national and Community sustainable development planning and strategies to maximize their coherance and avoid conflicting paths.

* To integrate the concept of sustainable development into all policy areas. In particular:

* To ensure that projects funded through the Structural Funds are compatible with the principles of sustainable development.

* To re-orientate the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy and to fully integrate agri-environmental policy.

* To enforce stringent controls to ensure that environmental damage caused by the EU Headage Payments Scheme is prevented and special provisions made for farmers so that a reduction in stocking densities on peatlands will not be detrimental to their livelihood.

* In relation to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the threshold levels for developments should be reduced. On conservation worthy areas, EIAs should be mandatory.

EDITOR'S NOTE 1: The Irish Peatland Conservation Council is a national charity and is entirely supported by voluntary contributions. Conservation projects include: purchasing bogland nature reserves, providing resources and training for teachers and education groups, repairing damaged bogs, fostering a positive attitude towards bogs, and encouraging lifestyles in harmony with the environment. The IPCC can be contacted at: Capel Chambers, 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 01-872 2397. Registered Charity Number: CHY6829

EDITOR'S NOTE 2: The Irish Peatland Conservation Council gratefully acknowledges Indigo who have sponsored our pages on the World Wide Web.

EDITOR'S NOTE 3 : The work of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council is supported by the FÁS Community Employment Program.

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