An Taisce Saves Unique Habitat in Offaly

After years of battling, the environmental charity An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, has won an appeal to prevent the extraction of 10,000 tonnes per year of milled peat from the unique habitat of a raised bog at Kilballyskea in Co Offaly.

“This is a landmark case for Ireland” claimed Anja Murray, spokesperson for An Taisce, “Ireland has already lost 82% of its globally important peatlands.  Peat bogs are essential for a healthy environment, they are our country’s equivalent of the rain forests in terms of biodiversity” she continued. Peat bogs are also vital for storing water, preventing flooding and improving water quality and as is increasingly recognized, are a vital sink or store for carbon.

The value of this bog was recognized when it was bought by the state for conservation, however it was then given on lease to peat extraction company Erin Horticulture, who applied to mine it, which would have completely destroyed the bog.  An Taisce warned against the harvesting of this bog at that stage.  However permission was given by Offaly County Council for the industrial scale exploitation of this bog.  This permission was supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the body responsible for the preservation of such habitats.

The battle to save the bog continued when An Taisce decided to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála in 2007 on the grounds that Kilballyskea bog in one of very few remaining intact raised midland bogs and supports internationally protected habitats and species.  An Taisce argued that Ireland had already been found lacking by the European court for failing to protect such species and habitats and that destruction of this unique place would be against the European Habitats Directive.

An Taisce also made the case that with global climate change of major importance, the release of an estimated 8000 tonnes of carbon dioxide which would resulted from the exploitation of this bog should be prevented.  Ireland is already failing to meet its targets to cut emissions and is depending on buying carbon credits. Viable environmentally friendly alternatives to commercial peat already exist, indeed Erin Horticulture themselves manufacture peat free compost.   Producers and consumers need to be encouraged away from the industrial level destruction of our environmental heritage.

An Taisce welcomes the decision by an Bord Pleanála that this planned destruction was

“contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.  The charity is now calling for strong protection measures to stop the ongoing ruin of Ireland’s other remaining peatlands.