Conservation
Legislation
The United Kingdom is a member of the European Union (EU)
and therefore Northern Ireland is subject to EU policies.
There are no EU or national laws that specifically protect
peatlands, but all legislation that protects landscapes, plants,
animals, and certain prehistoric archaeological sites contribute
to peatland conservation. Legislation that controls the extraction
of minerals, including peat, can also offer some protection
to peatlands. Peatlands are therefore affected by legislation
that is administered by a number of Government agencies and
departments.
The Department
of the Environment (DOE) and the Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) administer
the legislation that has the greatest impact on peatlands
in Northern Ireland.
The DOE in Northern Ireland comprises a number of agencies
including Environment
and Heritage Service (EHS) and Planning
Service, which implement legislation that affects peatlands.
DOE - EHS
In Northern Ireland EHS administer various pieces of legislation
that define what actions are legal in relation to plants,
animals and landscapes. EHS are responsible in Northern Ireland
for the delivery of two European Directives, the:
Both Directives require the designation and legal protection
of sites and to date almost 50% of the sites designated in
Northern Ireland are peatland sites. The Habitats Directive
constitutes the strongest legal weapon for peatland protection
within the EU.
The Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (NI) Order 1985
is an important piece of local legislation for peatland conservation.
This Order requires the identification and designation of
sites, as Areas of Special Scientific
Interest or National Nature
Reserves, which are then afforded legal protection. Future
ASSIs will be declared under a more recent piece of legislation,
The Environment (NI) Order 2002, which also provides greater
protection for ASSIs. Sites are also designated, as State
Care Monuments or Scheduled Monuments, and protected because
of their archaeological features. Many such sites are found
within peatlands and it is usual to designate and protect
an area of land around them.
DOE - Planning Service
Within the Planning Strategy for Northern Ireland a policy
on mineral extraction requires consent from Planning Service
for the extraction of peat for sale. Consent for extraction
would not be granted if the site has either natural or archaeological
conservation value. Planning Service policies for the conservation
of the natural heritage in Northern Ireland are outlined in
"Planning Policy Strategy 2". Development plans
for any area in Northern Ireland will be required to consider
Sites of Local Nature Conservation Interest (SLNCI) in determining
planning applications involving land use change. SLNCIs are
the most important places for wildlife in a local context
and will include peatland sites.
DARD
DARD is responsible for the application of the EU agricultural
policy in Northern Ireland. The Common Agriculture Policy
(CAP) influences all agricultural practices including grazing
levels, subsidies and levels of production. Agricultural practices
affect the biodiversity, water quality and landscape value
of peatlands.
Within Northern Ireland approximately 70% of the land is
classified as Less Favoured and farmers must follow Good Farming
Practice to receive area payments. There are 8 verifiable
standards contained within Good Farming Practice including
prevention of overgrazing and unsuitable supplementary feeding
and preventing damage to wildlife habitats, archaeological
features and earth science sites. DARD also administers a
number of voluntary agri-environment
schemes, which play an important role in peatland protection.
