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Conference calls for land use plan for Midland Boglands

For release 12 september 2001

Raised bogs are a distinctive and characteristic feature of the landscape of the midlands of Ireland. Covering 300,000ha and spanning 11 counties, raised bogs have played an important economic role in the development of the region mainly through peat extraction.

Today only 25,000ha of raised bog have never been cut and are of high wildlife value. The other 275,000ha, termed cutover or cutaway bog, depending on whether an economic resource of peat still remains, represents a significant land area for which a land use plan is urgently needed.

At a Conference held on the 12 September in Portlaoise entitled Irish Raised Bogs Conservation, Utilisation and After-Use, over 100 delegates debated how best the Irish midland raised bog resource should be managed for everyone's benefit in the future.

Ireland has 51% of the remaining intact raised bog resource in Europe. This area of 25,000ha needs to be protected as Special Areas of Conservation. Dr Peter Foss of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council told the conference that "to meet our EU obligations under the Habitats Directive Dúchas must double the number of raised bog SAC's already declared".

Mr Jim Ryan of Dúchas described an EU funded restoration programme on raised bogs which will effectively allow SAC sites, damaged in the past by peat cutting, to be repaired.

In discussing the future use of Cutaway bogs, Mr Gerry McNally of Bord na Móna said that "no single use can be imposed across all the bogs because of the variability and complexity of cutaways - what will emerge will be a a diversity of uses", he said.

In addition to the speakers at the conference, 30 exhibits highlighted other aspects of the wise use of our raised bog and midland peat resource. In particular, sites abandoned following cutting by hand, need to be formally surveyed by Dúchas, as they provide important wildlife sites, some for species on the brink of extinction such as the Marsh Fritillary butterfly.

IPCC, the conference organisers, intend meeting with Government officials after the conference to bring the recommendations from the conference to their attention. "These recommenadtions will act as the basis for a national strategy for the after-use, conservation and utilisation of the midland raised bog resource, now urgently needed" said Dr Foss of IPCC.

Further Information contact Dr Peter Foss on 086 3363188 on 12 September. Other dates call 01-8722397/8722384

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