P r e s s R e l e a s
e
For immediate release 14 February 1997
Ireland's leading nature conservation organisations, Birdwatch Ireland, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council, the Irish Wildlife Trust and An Taisce, have welcomed the decision of the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr. Michael D. Higgins, T.D. to sign and publish the Regulations implementing the EU Habitats Directive next Wednesday, February 19. However, as the conservation organisations have not yet seen the Regulations themselves, their views on how effectively they will implement the requirements of the Directive must await their publication and subsequent implementation.
The Minister's officials informed the nature conservation organisations of the decision at a meeting this week and said that it was subject only to a final examination of the Regulations by the Attorney General's office. The signing of the Regulations will also allow the publication of the initial list of proposed Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in the succeeding weeks. This will be the first step in the eventual designation of these areas under the Directive - a commitment the Irish Government entered into in 1992. The implementation of the Regulations will also give much improved protection at national and Local Authority level to our Special Protection Areas (SPAs) which are designated under the EU Birds Directive.
The Department of the Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht and the National Parks and Wildlife Service will also launch a major publicity and information campaign when the Regulations are signed, thus taking on board one of the major points which the conservation organisations have been making in recent months. The campaign will include media briefings, the publication of a booklet on farming and nature and the setting up of a telephone information line.
At the meeting, the conservation organisations stressed the need for
* Openess and transparency in the process of designating SACs and dealing with appeals and with any permitted activities, including provision for third party input at all stages.
* Clarification of the procedure and functions of the small independent advisory group which is to assist the Minister in dealing with appeals, on scientific grounds, against the designation of SACs.
* The necessity to expand the network of wildlife rangers to ensure that the implementation of the Directive is properly monitored.
* Proceeding rapidly with the long overdue amendment of the
1976 Wildlife Act so that the remainder of the proposed Natural
Heritage Areas that do not qualify for SAC or SPA status also
receive legal protection. qualify for SAC of SPa status also receive
legal protection.
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.
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