Date: 30 Apr 2021
Launch of a public consultation on the mid-term review of the National Peatlands Strategy
The National Peatlands Strategy was published in 2015 and has as its vision statement “a long-term framework within which all of the peatlands within the State can be managed responsibly in order to optimise their social, environmental and economic contribution to the well-being of this and future generations”.
It sets out a cross-governmental approach to managing issues that relate to peatlands, including compliance with EU environmental law, climate change, forestry, flood control, energy, nature conservation, planning, and agriculture. The Strategy has been developed in partnership between relevant Government Departments/State bodies and key stakeholders through the Peatlands Council.
It is underlined by 25 key principles and commits to the undertaking of 32 actions across various sectors and themes, including inter alia Research, Tourism, Agriculture, Forestry, Conservation, Restoration, Peat Extraction, Energy, Water Quality and Climate Change. The Strategy has a timeframe of 10 years and is subject to a mid-term review.
The Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform has launched (30th April 2021) a public consultation on the mid-term review of the strategy. The purpose of the mid-term review is to provide a broad assessment of where the Strategy currently is and what it can achieve over the next five years. Where necessary, it may also propose changes to the actions set out in the Strategy to refocus it in line with its overall goals and the current context.
The Department will use the information provided to inform the finalisation of the mid-term review of the National Peatlands Strategy.
Further details on the consultation can be found here. The closing date for submissions is the 30th June 2021.