Madam, - While it was encouraging to see all of the events organised last week to raise awareness of our impressive heritage, the week also presented an opportunity to highlight failures in protecting the important heritage area of bogland.
It is agreed among Irish and international scientists that Ireland's last remaining raised bogs are our most valued natural asset. They represent our (Europe's) most natural and ancient wildlife habitats. The bogs appear today exactly as they would have to our earliest ancestors and this is unique across the Irish landscape.
The Government is continuing to allow these habitats to disappear each year. We estimate that hundreds of hectares of bog have been destroyed this summer alone, each hectare taking the last 10,000 years to form. While most of the remaining bogs are supposed to be "protected" under Irish and European legislation it seems this "protection" isn't worth the paper it's written on because peat extraction and drainage are still permitted on these sites. I challenge Minister for the Environment Dick Roche to name one raised bog that is not being cut each year and suffering from continued drainage. If this Government is serious about conserving Ireland's heritage, it would immediately ban peat extraction on all raised bogs of ecological interest. - Yours, etc,
PATRICK CRUSHELL, Director, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Lullymore, Co Kildare.