From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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The National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is working to review and update wildlife legislation.
This includes the:
This legislation covers areas such as the protection of birds, the protection of certain wild animals, and the protection of certain lands, sites and habitats.
This is an extensive review and is a multi-year project, and will be carried out in a number of phases. It will examine the effectiveness of the legislation in protecting wildlife, preventing biodiversity loss, and regulating activities that adversely impact on wildlife and biodiversity. In doing so, it is seeking to strike an appropriate balance between the needs of humans and the needs of wildlife. It is also seeking to ensure compliance with Ireland’s obligations under the EU Birds Directive, the EU Natural Habitats Directive and other relevant directives and international conventions.
The purpose of updating the legislation is to ensure that it works better for wildlife, for biodiversity, for the public, and for those who operate and interact with it. The key focus of the initial phase of the legislation update will be on strengthening the enforcement of wildlife crime and on addressing any legislative anomalies. The project will run for a number of years, and it is anticipated that two new Wildlife Bills and several new Statutory Instruments will be published arising from this work.
The department recognises the importance of consultation and wishes to make the process of revising wildlife legislation as open and transparent as possible by allowing participation from members of the public and interested stakeholders.
Members of the public and all stakeholders are now being invited to make submissions on the wildlife legislation review and update. The inputs received will be used to inform and shape the development of Ireland’s wildlife legislation.
This is the first phase of public consultation. In this phase, views on the overall project are being invited. As proposals emerge, further phases of public consultation will be held.
The department invites members of the public, groups and organisations to make submissions on the review and update of the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 and related Statutory Instruments.
Links to information on what these main pieces of wildlife legislation provide in law is available in the guidance document.
Submissions will not be accepted if they are anonymous or where they do not include a contact name, address, and phone number.
Please note that all submissions received will be published on the department’s website. Any personal and identifying information will be redacted prior to publication on the website.
Please review section 5 and the privacy statement below before making a submission.
If you wish to make a submission, there are two ways to get involved:
Wildlife Legislation Review, Legislation and Guidance Unit, 2nd Floor,
National Parks and Wildlife Service,
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage,
90 North King Street,
Dublin 7, D07 N7CV.
The closing date for submissions is Friday, 13 September 2024 .
If at any time you wish to withdraw your submission please contact wildlifelegislationreview@npws.gov.ie
The guidance document outlines in greater detail the legislation that is covered and not covered as part of this review. It also sets out a number of questions that you may wish to consider when making your submission. It is strongly recommended that you review this guidance document as an aid to making your submission.
Submissions should be limited to 5,000 words. Submissions exceeding this length will not be considered.
Public Consultation Wildlife Legislation Review - Guidance Document
The department will review every submission received. The information provided by respondents will be used to inform and shape the development of the wildlife legislation review.
When this public consultation is closed and responses are analysed, policy for the areas to be updated will be decided and settled.
In relation to the Wildlife Acts, the department would then expect to finalise and submit the general scheme of the first Bill to government for approval in 2025. Following Cabinet approval, the Heads of the first Bill, which will contain the general outline of the first Bill, will be published on the department’s website. There will be a public consultation process on the specific proposals contained therein. The department will then work with the Attorney General’s Office to prepare the Bill for introduction to the Oireachtas.
The department expects that a second Bill will be published in due course, and follow a similar process.
In relation to the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, it is anticipated that updates of these regulations will be incremental in nature and it is expected that the first updates will be brought forward in 2025 with several further amendments thereafter.
As previously stated all submissions received will be published on the department’s website. Any personal and identifying information will be redacted prior to publication on the website.
All submissions and comments submitted to the department for this purpose are subject to release under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 and the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007-2014.
Personal, confidential or commercially sensitive information should not be included in the body of your submission.
Submissions are also subject to Data Protection legislation. The department’s Privacy Statement can be viewed below.