National Parks And Wildlife Service Powerless To Stop Wildlife Destruction In Protected Areas

Friends of the Irish Environment - Press Release 18th May 2016

The National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS] does not have the power to stop the Forest Service permitting forestry felling during the breeding season, even in an area designated for protection under European law.

This has emerged in controversy over the felling of trees at Castleforbes Estate, County Longford, where the local NPWS staff’s request for permission to stop the felling was denied by the Regional Manager of NPWS, who stated that ‘NPWS cannot stop such works and that is in the remit of the Forest Service.’

PRESS RELEASE FRIENDS OF THE IRISH ENVIRONMENT 18 MAY 2016

The National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS] does not have the power to stop the Forest Service permitting forestry felling during the breeding season, even in an area designated for protection under European law.

This has emerged in controversy over the felling of trees at Castleforbes Estate, County Longford, where the local NPWS staff’s request for permission to stop the felling was denied by the Regional Manager of NPWS, who stated that ‘NPWS cannot stop such works and that is in the remit of the Forest Service.’

The ancient woodland, first recorded in the 17th century, is protected as an Special Area of Conservation under the Habitats Directive on the shores of the Shannon by Lough Forbes and is a haven for wildlife. Emails released to an environmental group under Access to Information on the Environment show that bats, badgers, pine martens, two breeding buzzards, suspected breeding woodpeckers, breeding red squirrels, breeding ravens and many other species of breeding countryside birds (black cap, missalthrush, etc,)’ were present with ‘merlin recorded on the bog adjoining the woodland.’

Local staff only became aware of new licenses when felling began in February of this year. They were not consulted during the license application process by the Parks and Wildlife Service administration. The District Conservation Officer wrote that he ‘totally agreed’ with the local staff who felt ‘undermined and embarrassed by the manner in which this application was handled by the NPWS’. He urged the Regional Manager to contact the Forest Service ‘in the hope that we can moderate the damage and deflect the bad publicity that will certainly be directed at us.’

A complaint from Friends of the Irish Environment on 4th April 2016 after the closed season for protection of breeding animals had begun to the Forest Service led to the suspension of felling but permission was given for the felling to continue 10 days later

Subsequent formal request under the legislation by the NPWS to the Forest Service on 28 April and 9 May 2016 have been ignored and work is continuing. Last week FIE published photographs of dead birds and their nests on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheIrishEnvironment/

The files also show that the original 2015 licence was for thinning only for ‘firewood’ with a condition prohibiting the felling of oaks. However, a Report drafted by the NPWS in response a Parliamentary Question by James Bannon, TD in December 2015 revealed that ‘most beech’, ‘some ash’, and ‘some oaks’ were in fact removed, stating ‘most oaks trees selected were between 60 and 80 years old, with the occasional older tree.’ The Report was never provided to Deputy Bannon and has not been made public until it was released under this request by FIE.

While an ecological survey was required for the licences by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the files show that this was never undertaken due to a ‘lack of resources’.

Tony Lowes of FIE said that while ‘the Estate wishes to reinstate the woodland to as close to primeval woodland as possible, under the guise of ‘Continuous Forest Cover’ and ‘Low Impact Silivicutural System’, these unique woodlands are being stripped of specimen redwoods, oaks, and ash of the finest quality and the wildlife decimated through a breakdown in the nature conservation system in Ireland.’

‘The function of forest agreed under the Convention for Biodiversity requires Ireland ‘to bring about a measurable improvement in the conservation status of species and habitats that depend on or are affected by forestry.’

‘Ireland is a repeat offender when it comes to failure to assess impact on SACS. The EU Court of Justice has ruled against Ireland before on very similar issues and the Commission will be very unimpressed to see the law flouted and the environment blatantly damaged in this way.’

The areas chosen as SAC in Ireland cover an area of approximately 13,500 sq. km. Roughly 53% is land, the remainder being marine or large lakes.

Clearance and felling operations are continuing in the woodlands this week.

Contact: Tony Lowes 353 (0)87 2176316 / 353 (0)27 74771

EDITORS NOTES

While the original Thinning Licenses issued in 2014 had a condition preventing disturbing the breeding place of a protected species during the closed period, the Parks and Wildlife Service returned the subsequent two 2015 Felling licences to the Forest Service with no requests for conditions.

After complaints, the NPWS issued a formal letter to the Forest Service on 28 April under Regulation 4 of the EC (Forest Consent and Assessment) Regulations recommending that no work take place between 1 April and 1 September. When work continued nonetheless, the letter was reissued on 9 May, 2016. Clearance and felling in the woodland are continuing nonetheless.

ENDS

Friends of the Irish Environment is a non-profit company limited by guarantee registered in
Ireland.

It is a member of the European Environmental Bureau and the Irish Environmental Network.

Tel & Fax: 353 (0)27 74771 / Hotline: 087 2176316
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