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Wildlife Groups Call for Biological Records Centre

For immediate release - 10 July 2000

NGOs propose 594 additional SACs in Ireland

Five Irish NGOs have sent to European Environmental Commissioner Margot
Walstrom a list of 594 proposed Irish Special Areas of Conservation. Only
331 sites have been advertised in Ireland for SACs, many of them already
protected in National Parks.

The NGOs claim that no list of SAC sites, required under the Habitats
Directive, can be conclusive because there is insufficient data available in
Ireland to determine the areas and species needing protection. "We echo the
EPA "Millenium Report" which states that it is not possible to assess
Ireland's biodiversity without a properly resourced biological records
centre."

The "NGO SAC Shadow List 2000", the groups' bulky submission to the European
Commission's DG XI Natura 2000 Programne, cites insufficient national
published research data on fens, grasslands, limestone pavements, woodlands,
sand dunes, and lagoons.

In some cases, as with turloughs, the NGOs claim that vital smaller
turloughs will be unprotected since existing surveys begin only with 10
hectare sites. In the case of otters, only added to the list after NGO
pressure last year, the threshold is set at 5,000 hectares or a river of
greater than 25 kilometres. Lack of data has also impacted adversely on
shads ­ particularly the Killarney shad, a distinct subspecies, and the
brook, river, and sea lampreys.

The NGOs point out that Article 10 of the Habitats Directive require the
protection of corridors and stepping stones ­ such as ponds and small woods.
"Exclusion by size is contrary to these provisions of the Directive." They
also draw attention to the exclusion of sites for the fresh water pearl
mussel if juveniles are absent in spite of the fact that "these mussels have
a considerable life span and can exist for tens of years without producing
juveniles".

In the marine area, the NGOs point out that the proposed marine sites do not
include the harbour porpoise, include only one site for the bottlenose
dolphin (Shannon Estuary) and the current list of seal sites does not
adequately reflect the species distribution. They suggest that
protection for the marine environment must include the 200 mile Exclusive
Economic Zone rather than the 3 mile limit being used by Duchas. Both the
harbour porpoise and the bottlenose dolphin are known to occur more than 3
miles offshore. The NGOs point out that further discussions are "urgently
required" in view of increasing gas exploration off the west coast.

While welcoming increased cooperation from Duchas, the five groups claim
that much environmental data gathered as a result of internal survey reports
for Duchas, Coillte, and the EPA remain unavailable. University led
investigations and studies undertaken by smaller interests groups are also
often unavailable.

"More resources must be committed by the Irish Government to standardize
approaches, fund research and centralize biological records. Without this
commitment, we can not ensure sufficient protection for our wildlife and
habitats under any law, national or European."

The NGO's work is funded by the Heritage Council.

The five NGOs are An Taisce, BirdWatch, Coastwatch Europe, the Irish
Peatland Conservation Council, and the Irish Wildlife Trust

Attribution: Spokesman
______________________________________
Dr Peter Foss
Irish Peatland Conservation Council
119 Capel Street
Dublin 1
Ireland

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