Draft Sustainable Management plan for Barroughter & Clonmoylan bog. Preface Because it is the opinion of the majority of stakeholders involved in the Barroughter & Clonmoylan Bogs that the Peatland Council have no credibility, the Barroughter & Clonmoylan stakeholders have decided to produce a sustainable management plan for their bog themselves. Bog status Freehold Bog Area Barroughter, Clonmoylan Location East Galway 1 The stakeholders shall select a management committee from within their stake holders in accordance with the guide lines under Local Agenda 21. 2 turf cutting will be allowed until such time as acceptable alternatives are found. 3 management will comply with the Principles of Sustainability 4 All existing rights under Principle shall remain unless following a derogation request are relinquished after proper consultation and full agreement of all affected stakeholders. 5 Proper base line studies are carried out by the Management committee and funded by Local Agenda 21 funding. 6 All existing deals done between the NPWS and stakeholders to be reevaluated in compliance with Principle 1.4 7 All alternative proposals and suggestions to be examined by the management committee and funded by Local agenda 21 funding. 8 All carbon credits belong to the land owner 9 all grants to be given to the management committee PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY 1 Principle #1: Compliance with laws Management shall respect all applicable laws of the Republic of Ireland and international treaties and agreements to which the country is a signatory, 1.1 Management shall respect all national and local laws and administrative requirements. 1.2 All applicable and legally prescribed fees, royalties, taxes and other charges shall be paid. 1.3 In signatory countries, the provisions of all binding international agreements such as CITES, ILO Conventions, ITTA, and Convention on Biological Diversity, shall be respected. 1.4 Conflicts between laws, regulations etc. shall be evaluated , on a case by case basis, by the management and the involved or affected parties. 1.5 Management areas should be protected from illegal harvesting, settlement and other unauthorized activities. 1.6 Managers shall demonstrate a long-term commitment to adhere to the principles of sustainability 2 Principle #2: Tenure and use rights and responsibilities Long-term tenure and use rights to the land and resources shall be clearly defined, documented and legally established. 2.1 Clear evidence of long-term use rights to the land (e.g. land title, customary rights, or lease agreements) shall be demonstrated. 2.2 Local communities with legal or customary tenure or use rights shall maintain control, to the extent necessary to protect their rights or resources, over operations unless they delegate control with free and informed consent to other agencies. 2.3 Appropriate mechanisms shall be employed to resolve disputes over tenure claims and use rights. 3 Principle #3: Indigenous peoples rights The legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories, and resources shall be recognized and respected. 3.1 Indigenous peoples shall control management on their lands and territories unless they delegate control with free and informed consent to other agencies. 3.2 Management shall not threaten or diminish, either directly or indirectly, the resources or tenure rights of indigenous peoples. 3.3 Sites of special cultural, ecological, economic or religious significance to indigenous peoples shall be clearly identified in cooperation with such peoples, and recognized and protected by managers. 3.4 Indigenous peoples shall be compensated for the application of their traditional knowledge regarding the use of species or management systems in operations. This compensation shall be formally agreed upon with their free and informed consent before forest operations commence. 4 Principle #4: Community relations and workers rights Management operations shall maintain or enhance the long-term social and economic well-being of workers and local communities. 4.1 The communities within, or adjacent to, the management area should be given opportunities for employment, training, and other services. 4.2 Management should meet or exceed all applicable laws and/or regulations covering health and safety of employees and their families. 4.3 The rights of workers to organize and voluntarily negotiate with their employers shall be guaranteed as outlined in Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 4.4 Management planning and operations shall incorporate the results of evaluations of social impact. Consultations shall be maintained with people and groups (both men and women) directly affected by management operations. 4.5 Appropriate mechanisms shall be employed for resolving grievances and for providing fair compensation in the case of loss or damage affecting the legal or customary rights, property, resources, or livelihoods of local peoples. Measures shall be taken to avoid such loss or damage. 5 Principle #5: Benefits from the management operations shall encourage the efficient use of the multiple products and services to ensure economic viability and a wide range of environmental and social benefits. 5.1 Management should strive toward economic viability, while taking into account the full environmental, social, and operational costs of production, and ensuring the investments necessary to maintain the ecological productivity of the site. 5.2 Management and marketing operations should encourage the optimal use and local processing of the bogs diversity of products . 5.3 Management should minimize waste associated with harvesting and on-site processing operations and avoid damage to other resources. 5.4 Management should strive to strengthen and diversify the local economy, avoiding dependence on a single product. 5.5 Management operations shall recognize, maintain, and, where appropriate, enhance the value of services and resources such as watersheds and fisheries. 5.6 The rate of harvest of products shall not exceed levels which can be permanently sustained. 6 Principle #6: Environmental impact Management shall conserve biological diversity and its associated values, water resources, soils, and unique and fragile ecosystems and landscapes, and, by so doing, maintain the ecological functions and the integrity of the site . 6.1 Assessment of environmental impacts shall be completed -- appropriate to the scale, intensity of management and the uniqueness of the affected resources -- and adequately integrated into management systems. Assessments shall include landscape level considerations as well as the impacts of on-site processing facilities Environmental impacts shall be assessed prior to commencement of site-disturbing operations. 6.2 Safeguards shall exist which protect rare, threatened and endangered species and their habitats (e.g., nesting and feeding areas). Conservation zones and protection areas shall be established, appropriate to the scale and intensity of management and the uniqueness of the affected resources. Inappropriate hunting, fishing, trapping and collecting shall be controlled. 6.3 Ecological functions and values shall be maintained intact, enhanced, or restored, including: a) Regeneration and succession. b) Genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. c) Natural cycles that affect the productivity of the bog ecosystem. 6.4 Representative samples of existing ecosystems within the landscape shall be protected in their natural state and recorded on maps, appropriate to the scale and intensity of operations and the uniqueness of the affected resources. 6.5 Written guidelines shall be prepared and implemented to: control erosion; minimize bog damage during harvesting, road construction, and all other mechanical disturbances; and protect water resources. 6.6 Management systems shall promote the development and adoption of environmentally friendly non-chemical methods of pest management and strive to avoid the use of chemical pesticides. World Health Organization Type 1A and 1B and chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides; pesticides that are persistent, toxic or whose derivatives remain biologically active and accumulate in the food chain beyond their intended use; as well as any pesticides banned by international agreement, shall be prohibited. If chemicals are used, proper equipment and training shall be provided to minimize health and environmental risks. 6.7 Chemicals, containers, liquid and solid non-organic wastes including fuel and oil shall be disposed of in an environmentally appropriate manner at off-site locations. 6.8 Use of biological control agents shall be documented, minimized, monitored and strictly controlled in accordance with national laws and internationally accepted scientific protocols. Use of genetically modified organisms shall be prohibited. 7 Principle #7: Management plan A management plan -- appropriate to the scale and intensity of the operations -- shall be written, implemented, and kept up to date. The long term objectives of management, and the means of achieving them, shall be clearly stated. 7.1 The management plan and supporting documents shall provide: a) Management objectives. b) Description of the resources to be managed, environmental limitations, land use and ownership status, socio-economic conditions, and a profile of adjacent lands. c) Description of silvicultural and/or other management system, based on the ecology of the site in question and information gathered through resource inventories. d) Rationale for rate of annual harvest e) Provisions for monitoring of growth and dynamics. f) Environmental safeguards based on environmental assessments. g) Plans for the identification and protection of rare, threatened and endangered species. h) Maps describing the bog resource base including protected areas, planned management activities and land ownership. i) Description and justification of harvesting techniques and equipment to be used. 7.2 The management plan shall be periodically revised to incorporate the results of monitoring or new scientific and technical information, as well as to respond to changing environmental, social and economic circumstances. 7.3 Workers shall receive adequate training and supervision to ensure proper implementation of the management plan. 7.4 While respecting the confidentiality of information, managers shall make publicly available a summary of the primary elements of the management plan, including those listed in Criterion 7.1. 8 Principle #8: Monitoring and assessment Monitoring shall be conducted -- appropriate to the scale and intensity of site management -- to assess the condition of the , yields of products, , management activities and their social and environmental impacts. 8.1 The frequency and intensity of monitoring should be determined by the scale and intensity of management operations as well as the relative complexity and fragility of the affected environment. Monitoring procedures should be consistent and replicable over time to allow comparison of results and assessment of change. 8.2 Management should include the research and data collection needed to monitor, at a minimum, the following indicators: a) Yield of all products harvested. b) Growth rates, regeneration and condition of the site. c) Composition and observed changes in the flora and fauna. d) Environmental and social impacts of harvesting and other operations. e) Costs, productivity, and efficiency of bog management. 8.4 The results of monitoring shall be incorporated into the implementation and revision of the management plan. 8.5 While respecting the confidentiality of information, managers shall make publicly available a summary of the results of monitoring indicators, including those listed in Criterion 8.2. 9 Principle #9: Maintenance of high conservation value. Management activities in high conservation value sites shall maintain or enhance the attributes which define such sites. Decisions regarding high conservation value shall always be considered in the context of a precautionary approach. 9.1 Assessment to determine the presence of the attributes consistent with High Conservation Value will be completed, appropriate to scale and intensity of management. 9.2 The consultative portion of the process must place emphasis on the identified conservation attributes, and options for the maintenance thereof. 9.3 The management plan shall include and implement specific measures that ensure the maintenance and/or enhancement of the applicable conservation attributes consistent with the precautionary approach. These measures shall be specifically included in the publicly available management plan summary. 9.4 Annual monitoring shall be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the measures employed to maintain or enhance the applicable conservation attributes.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 22:17:50 +0000
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