Deterrents and prosecutions needed to tackle gorse fires
Gorse fires raging in the Tolka Valley Park in Finglas in summer 2018.
The lack of prosecutions for starting gorse fires across Ireland is "beyond ridiculous", a leading campaigner has said, as blazes raged across the countryside at the weekend.
Founder of the Stop Gorse Fires (SGF) Facebook page and Green Party local representative in Skibbereen, Rory Jackson, said authorities must finally get tough on those who light fires that are hugely damaging to habitats, animals, and people.
Wicklow Fire Service posted video of a raging blaze on Scar Mountain above Lough Dan at the weekend, while Laois fire crews from Mountrath, Portlaoise, Mountmellick, and Rathdowney spent a chunk of Sunday dealing with a large fire on Conlawn Hill near Ballyfin.
Mr Jackson said March 1 saw the ending of the legal land burning period in Ireland until August 31 as per the Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000, but that the problem was ongoing.
Fires in parts of West Cork such as Drimoleague were also reported over the weekend, he said.
Public awareness is key, but deterrents such as prosecutions are long overdue, he added.
The idea that gorse blazes in Ireland are 'wildfires' is misleading, he said, because the climate is not conducive to them spreading naturally.
People are the culprits, said Mr Jackson, who set up SGF in 2010 for people to report fires as they happen. It now has more than 1,100 members reporting on fires sighted throughout Ireland.
"Building this knowledge base is hugely important. We need to collect data on the fires that we are witnessing throughout our communities. The damage to Ireland’s natural landscape and biodiversity is incalculable in monetary terms but each local councils’ costs for responding to them runs at over €1m per year for the deployment of the fire services.
"Additionally there are the costs to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), the gardaí, and other response services. This does not even begin to estimate the damage to public health or the costs therein," he said.
Authorities have to clamp down harder on fire starting, he added.
The pressures on emergency services during the Covid-19 pandemic are being exacerbated by having to divert attention to fire starting, Mr Jackson said.
"As well as having a severe localised impact on flora and fauna, setting fires during this time of a national public health emergency is particularly reckless as it places unnecessary additional pressures on our emergency services as they valiantly tackle the current pandemic."
He urged people to report any fires to the gardaí and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
