Connemara en bloc is now a protected region

Almost all of Connemara is set to be designated for environmental protection - exacerabating the stringent restrictions that have already had huge impact on planning and farming in the region.

And as thousands of acres of Connemara land come under this new environmental designation, there are claims that the area is simply being used as a ‘soft touch’ to comply with European Union directives.

The changes now mean that virtually all of west Galway is protected from an environmental point of view and this involves severe restrictions when it comes to planning, farming and drainage works.

In fact of the total amount of land designated as environmentally sensitive across the whole country, 80 per cent of this is in Connemara.

This has been revealed as thousands of acres of land in the Connemara Bog Complex are to be designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) to conserve species like the Cormorant, Golden Plover and Common Gull.

The designations apply to an area north of Roundstone, an area south of Recess and on bogland north west of Spiddal. This will further restrict the activities of the landowners in these areas.

The owners of these lands cannot carry out any land reclamation, drainage works, clearing of rivers or the development of tourism facilities.

There are also restrictions when it comes to clearing scrub or vegetation, felling of trees or removing of dead wood and the introduction of new plants or animals into these areas.

See full story in this week's Connacht Tribune.