For immediate release 7 August 1998
From: Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Birdwatch Ireland, An Taisce
While Ireland's NGOs are delighted to see the publication of the first 39 sites designated as SACs under the Habitats Directive, the sad truth is that none of these sites will receive any legal protection until the full list of Irish sites has been submitted to the European Commission.
Further, this list represents only 20% of Ireland's proposed SACs and is four years late. The EU recently announced that Ireland faces prosecution for non- compliance with this Directive.
Not one raised or blanket bog is on the list. No progress appears to have been made in resolving the compensation problems over turf cutting.
Listed sand dunes at Banna and Inch in Co. Kerry, Rinmore, Co. Donegal, and Doonbeg, Co. Clare all face imminent destruction.
Even our few ancient woodlands are under pressure from the developer and the road builder. In turn, the animals that need these habitats for their survival - some of them unique to Ireland - remain entirely unprotected.
Ireland's NGOs again call on the appropriate Ministers to devote
sufficient resources to completing our SAC obligations this year
- and to publish the long awaited amendments to the 1976 Wildlife
Act.
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