Index Home Join IPCC

Public endorse Campaign to help Save our Threatened Peatlands

For Release 30 August 1999

More than 350 members of the public signed up to the Peatlands Campaign petition calling on Minister Síle de Valera to declare more peatland sites as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC's) at the Atlantic Biogeographical Seminar in Kilkee Co. Clare on the 6 September 1999.

IPCC representatives delivered the Moth Peatlands Campaign petitions to the Minister's office today in an attempt to convince her to focus the Government's mind on protecting our bogs and their wildlife.

The campaign organised by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council is based on the fact that the Government have only put forward 67 peatland sites as SAC's. This is a gross under-representation of the extent of the peatland habitat in Ireland, which are renowned all over the world.

IPCC have furnished the Government with three separate reports on raised bogs, blanket bogs and fens which outline our case for designating 481 peatland sites as SAC's. This action will ensure that a representative sample of Irish peatlands will be conserved in the next millennium.

Guidelines issued by the European Commission suggest that 30% to 60% of our natural resources be put forward as Special Areas of Conservation for protection under the Habitats Directive. To date the Government has only put forward 36%, a minimum amount.

At the Atlantic Biogeographical Seminar next week the performance of each country in the Atlantic region of Europe in relation to the Habitats Directive will be assessed.

Dr Peter Foss from the IPCC is the only representative from the Irish non governmental environmental organisations attending the meeting. He will be arguing the case for bogs.

"As the Irish representative at the meeting I will be carrying the flag for Irish wildlife habitats and species, and making sure that the public concerns for the conservation of those habitats gets a fair hearing" says Dr Peter Foss, Chairman of the IPCC.

ends