Turf-cutting will be allowed to continue on several of the 53 raised bogs of European importance under a long-term strategic plan for Ireland’s peatlands, the Government has decided.

The draft National Peatlands Strategy was published yesterday by Minister for Heritage Jimmy Deenihan along with a draft national raised bog special areas of conservation (SAC) management plan and a review of raised bog natural heritage areas (NHAs).

In a major concession to turf-cutting campaigners, the management plan for peatland SACs “sets out the approach to how each of the raised bog SACs is to be conserved and restored and how the needs of turf-cutters can be addressed”.

Under the plan, “continued turf-cutting proposals [are] to be considered where relocation solutions prove elusive”, in line with the Government’s approach to “meeting national conservation targets while addressing the needs of affected communities”.



EU habitats directive

The draft plan also proposes that a number of Bord na Mona-owned bogs be put forward as “compensatory SACs” to make up for the loss of habitat through turf-cutting since the 53 SACs were nominated for designation under the EU habitats directive.

In addition, raised bog NHAs are too be “reconfigured to avoid impact on 80 per cent of turf-cutters” – by excluding the most heavily cut sites from the list, reducing the number of those involved from more than 3,000 to “around 500”, according to Mr Deenihan.

Turf-cutting on 45 raised bog NHAs will be allowed to continue and the Minister will proceed towards “de-designation” of these sites. However, it is to be phased out on a further 36 NHAs over three years, with the immediate introduction of an individual permit system.

Some 25 new sites are to be proposed for designation as raised bog NHAs to replace the habitats lost through “de-designation” of the more heavily cut sites. “Many of these are in public ownership or have relatively few or no turf cutters,” the Minister said.

“Any turf-cutter required to cease turf-cutting on an NHA will be offered compensatory measures similar to those available to turf-cutters from raised bog SACs. Compensation will be made available immediately to active turf-cutters on these site,” he added.

“Since the habitats directive was signed in 1992, Ireland has lacked a coherent, long-term vision for our peatlands. This package of documents now sets out that vision [and] clearly recognise that turf-cutting is a valued traditional activity that will continue, but that the State must also meet conservation obligations,” Mr Deenihan said.



Facing sanctions

When he took office in 2011, Ireland was facing sanctions for failing to implement the habitats directive. “Since then, we have introduced a compensation scheme and paid out more than €7 million, established a Peatlands Council, held a Peatlands Forum and worked with the more than 2,800 turf-cutters who have stopped cutting turf on protected bogs,” he said.

He thanked the Peatlands Council for the “key role it has played in this process” and said: “Most of our peatlands have been altered by human activity over the centuries, but there still exist areas of unique – but threatened – habitats. For all our benefit, we need to protect and preserve a sample of these for ourselves and future generations, whilst also working with communities that are affected by conservation requirements.”



Conservation management

The latest strategy pledges that conservation management plans “will be in place for all raised bog NHAs by 2017”, and the new list would contain more active and degraded raised bog habitat – capable of being restored – than the existing network.

The draft National Peatlands Strategy also sets out proposals for the development of a new regulatory regime for turf contractors, under which they would operate with permits.

The documents are available on the department’s website and views of the public are invited before April 18th.