South Dublin Branch News

To coincide with the Meeting of EU Environment Ministers in Waterford City, Ireland, the Native Woodland Trust in conjunction with several other organisations, has released the following details of Ireland's appalling record on the environment: (14.05.2004)

20 Reasons why Ireland is not so Green!

Ireland protects less of its national territory than any country in the EU. (Ireland protects 1%, the average is 12%).1 Even Albania, one of the poorest countries in the world, protects over three times more of its land- mass for nature conservation than Ireland. (Ireland protects 1.17%, Albania protects 3.58%)2 The Irish government can provide no evidence that anyone has EVER been prosecuted for damaging a protected plant species.3 No prosecutions have EVER been undertaken for disturbance/killing of bats since the Wildlife Act was brought in 28 years ago.4 Ireland continues to allow the destruction of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), including areas listed as priority habitats under E.U. Habitats Directive.5 The Irish Minister for Environment has stated that house building and plantation forestry are allowed in Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).6 During the listing process for SACs, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council found 65 conservation-worthy Fenland sites unlisted by the state. (Fenland was only one of dozens of habitat types to be listed).7 The Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) has revealed his government's contempt for nature conservation. He says it's about "swans, snails and people hanging out of trees".8 The Irish species of Arctic Char (a salmonoid fish) are facing extinction, with possibly five populations/species disappearing in the last 20 years.9 Ireland has only 0.1% of its original woodland left, the lowest level in Europe.10 The Irish Government has failed even to identify all of the remaining 0.1% of woodlands. In 2002, the Native Woodland Trust found a woodland of over 100 acres in County Kerry which was unknown to the responsible state authority (Dúchas).11 The Irish Hare, although possibly an endemic species unique to Ireland, is still collected for coursing of Greyhounds. The Republic of Ireland even supplies Hares for export to Northern Ireland, as they are protected there.12 Despite being the jewel in the crown of the Irish National Parks system, many of the woods in Killarney National Park have not regenerated for over 60 years, due to overgrazing.13 Over 200 trees were felled in Killarney National park, to improve the view from a golf course outside the park.14 The Irish government declined to propose National Parks such as The Burren and Killarney as World Heritage Sites because their poor condition "could be diplomatically, politically and professionally embarrassing".15 In 1999, the Irish state removed a species from the list of protected plants, despite the fact that only five plants existed, in a single location. The area was the subject of a proposal to build an airport at the time.16 Irish authorities have continually removed species from the Red List of Vascular Plants (Wildflower & Trees) since 1976, despite the increased pressures on the environment over the last 30 years.17 Ireland is the only EU country without a National Biological Records Centre.18 Ireland has been referred to the European Court of Justice for failing to designate a sufficient number of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for wild birds. Ireland has the second smallest network of SPAs in the EU.19 Ireland continues to kill tens of thousands of Badgers in an unproven experiment to wipe-out TB, despite the fact that killing Badgers is prohibited under the Bern Convention. 20

Sources and References for 20 points listed above: 1. Source: United Nations Environment Programme 2 Source: United Nations Environment Programme 3 Source: Native Woodland Trust Freedom Of Information Request NWT-FOI-0024; also Parlimentary Question: Dáil Éireann - Volume 554 - 09 October, 2002, Ciaran Cuffe T.D. 4 Source: Bat Conservation Ireland. 5 Source: Irish Peatland Conservation Council Examples - Peat Extraction continuing at Clara Bog SAC, Moud's Bog SAC, Windfarms granted planning permission on Boleybrack Mountain SAC. 6 Source: Irish Farmer's Journal, 10 January 2004 "The review talks have agreed that the Minister Martin Cullen will write to local authorities and county councillors and explain that designation does not prohibit development, including rural houses, in SAC areas.The Department is of the view that there should not be an automatic blanket prohibition on afforestation in SACs, etc, and this is now the practise of the Forest Service when considering applications". 7. Source: IPCC; Ireland by Michael Viney, Smithsonian Natural History 2003. 8. Source: Tuesday, 14 October 2003, Dail debate, Bertie Ahern. 9. Source: Irish Char Conservation Group Website: http://www.charr.org/char/current_status.htm 10. Source: Native Woodland Trust 11. Source: Native Woodland Trust Freedom of Information Request NWT-FOI-0023 12. Source: Angela Smith, NI Environment Minister "I intend to take up with my ministerial counterpart in the Irish Government the practice of allowing hares to be netted in the south for export to Northern Ireland for coursing". 13. Source: Killarney National Park: A Place to Treasure, Bill Quirke, Collins Press 2001 14. Source: Killarney National Park: A Place to Treasure, Bill Quirke, Collins Press 2001 15 Source: Internal Memo from Irish Heritage Service / Duchas Regarding a list of sites, including Killarney and The Burren, the memo states: "In general, it was felt that we should not risk a refusal as this could be diplomatically, politically and professionally embarrassing." Nomination of the Burren "would represent enormous problems in terms of protection and management and at this stage would not be a runner". Killarney National Park is dismissed as a proposed site because it is "too damaged". 16. Source: Flora Protection Order 1999, Irish Government Stationery Office. 17. Source: Flora Protection Order 1999, Irish Government Stationery Office; Irish Red Data Book for Vascular Plants, Curtis & McCough, 1988. 18. Source: Irish Wildlife Trust 19. Source: European Commission 20. Source: Irish Wildlife Trust

About the Native Woodland Trust: The Native Woodland Trust is Ireland's only conservation charity dedicated to the preservation and expansion of Ireland's existing Ancient Woodland. The Trust has been central in the discovery of previously unknown woodlands and has recently become the first ENGO in Ireland to acquire its own property for planting new woodlands. Native Woodland Trust, Stoneybrook, Kilteel, Co. Kildare, IRELAND. Tel: +353 (0)87 9020038 Email: press@nativewoodtrust.ie Website: http://www.nativewoodtrust.ie

With the Irish Peatland Conservation Council & the Irish Wildlife Trust.