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

"Illegal development of Longford Bog should be stopped" says IPCC

For immediate release 1 July 1996

A substantial area of Ballykenny/Fisherstown bog in Co. Longford, exceeding 70 ha in extent has been damaged by peat developers. At this level an Environmental Impact Assessment should have been called for by the County Council making the development subject to the full planning process.

As Dr Peter Foss, of the IPCC (see Editors note 1) comments "This is a complete breach of national planning guidelines, and yet no one is doing anything to protect the bog from on-going damage. The situation is made all the more deplorable by the fact that a part of the bog covering 103ha has already been bought for conservation with EU Cohesion funds. The County Council must take action to prevent further damage occuring".

Ballykenny/Fisherstown bog is in the top 11 raised bogs in Ireland earmarked for conservation. It has been scheduled for designation as a Special Area of Conservation under the Habitats Directive. This will require the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to protect the entire site.

"It would be better for the County Council and NPWS to ensure that developers are prevented from damaging the bog and compensating them at this point If this is not done there will be no option but to pay for very expensive restoration work in the future which will be needed to protect the bog" insists Dr Foss.

"The greatest irony is that the owner of the site lives in Switzerland - a country where the largest remaining bog hardly exceeds 10 ha in size and where the entire population voted in a referendum not so long ago to protect every piece of bog they had left".

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 Save the Bogs Campaign was launched in 1985 by the IPCC to ensure that the Government live up to their commitment of conserving 50,000ha of bog. The campaign involves lobbying Government, raising funds for bog purchase and repair and educating teachers, pupils and the general public on the value and intrinsic beauty of Ireland's bogland heritage. To date IPCC have purchased four bogs, helped in the repair of others.

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

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