Wildlife Trust complaint over wildfires

THE Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has formally complained to the European Commission (EC) that the Irish Government is failing in its duty to protect threatened wildlife in upland areas under the Birds and Habitats Directives.

The IWT maintain that 97 wildfires they deem to be illegal took place between May 24 and May 22 of this year in 19 different counties, including Wicklow.

Forty per cent of these fires took place in areas designated under the Natura 2000 network (Special Areas of Conservation or Special Protection Areas under the EU’s Habitats/Birds Directive), such as Wicklow Mountains National Park.

The trust says these areas are affected annually by wildfires and no action has been taken by the government to prevent them. All of the habitats of hills were assessed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as being in ‘ bad’ condition while once common upland birds such as Curlew, Golden Eagle, Ring Ouzel, Nightjar, Twite and Hen Harrier are threatened with extinction.

The IWT feels that removing the removal of the requirement for farmers in uplands to have vegetation at ‘grazable height’ could help dramatically reduce the levels of fire.

Another policy measures called for is the design of new eligibility criteria which include options for rewilding the land, high nature value farming, or sustainable grazing systems with re-establishment of native woodlands.