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Ireland ramps up wildfire defenses with aerial surveillance and more staff
🇮🇪 Ireland /Disasters & Emergencies

Ireland ramps up wildfire defenses with aerial surveillance and more staff

From Irish Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is increasing readiness for illegal wildfires this summer with enhanced aerial surveillance and more ground staff.
  • New measures include helicopter and drone deployment, alongside trained personnel for nighttime monitoring, to combat deliberately set fires.
  • The NPWS aims to deter illegal burning by increasing fines and potentially disqualifying landowners from European grants, with legislative review planned.

A recent wildfire in the Dublin Mountains, equivalent in size to 50 Croke Parks, has prompted an intensified response from Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for the upcoming summer fire season. The blaze, which followed two "absolutely deliberate" smaller fires in the same area, devastated the habitat, according to Oonagh Duggan of BirdWatch Ireland.

You got the sense something bigger was building.

— Damian ClarkeManager of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, describing the build-up to a recent large wildfire.

Minister of State Christopher O’Sullivan announced that the NPWS has significantly ramped up its readiness, deploying "eyes in the skies" through helicopter and drone technology. A contract with Executive Helicopters is in place nationwide from June to September. This aerial surveillance is complemented by more "boots on the ground" staff, trained over the past few years for rapid response, including nighttime monitoring.

absolutely devastating to the structure of that habitat

— Oonagh DugganHead of policy and advocacy at BirdWatch Ireland, commenting on the impact of fires, especially those burning peat.

Under the Wildlife Act of 1976, burning vegetation on uncultivated land is illegal from March 1st to August 31st, with a potential €5,000 fine. O’Sullivan believes this penalty needs a significant increase. He also plans to work with the Department of Agriculture to disqualify landowners from future European grants if their land is intentionally burned. The upcoming review of the Wildlife Act presents a key opportunity to strengthen these deterrents, following the 2021 launch of the Wildlife Crime Unit.

significantly ramped up

— Christopher O’SullivanMinister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, describing the NPWS's increased readiness for illegal fires.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Irish Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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