COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, January 09, 2023

QUESTION NO. 17

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive for a report into how SDCC protect protected animals like swans and bats etc and how this is enforced ?

REPLY:

Wild animals like swans and bats are legislatively protected under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000 (Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000 National Parks & Wildlife Service (npws.ie)).  This Act also provides for the imposition of fines for contraventions of the Act, and to allow for the imposition of prison sentences, where appropriate. 

Bats are afforded particular protection under the EU Habitats Directive EU Directives | National Parks & Wildlife Service (npws.ie), which also makes it a prosecutable offense to interfere with the breeding or the resting places of these mammals. The Council has no authority under any of these pieces of legislation however, and we are required to comply with the law in the same manner as any other landowner. 

The Council is cognisant of the requirements to consider potential environmental consequences to protected species and habitats during both its own operations and as a consequence of the planning system.  Surveys for bats are frequently sought for Council projects or for development applications where the presence of bats might be suspected.  Where bats are found to be present, a derogation licence is required to be sought from National Parks and Wildlife Service which also requires detailed mitigation measures to be undertaken to minimise disruption to these species.      

Bats are frequent visitors to many of the Council’s parks in evening times as they commute to and from roosting sites foraging for insects.  Excessive lighting can have detrimental effects on the activities of certain bat species.  To protect bat movement and feeding activities, it is not standard policy to provide night time lighting through all darkened areas of public parks.  Where public safety issues prevail however, e.g. key connectivity/permeability points, or areas subject to anti-social behaviour, lighting options may be provided.  In these circumstances, measures to reduce impact on bats are considered and used where appropriate e.g. cowled lighting design, directional lighting, or the use of motion-sensor lighting as along sections of the Dodder Greenway.

The many ponds and lakes in SDCC’s public parks support a significant population of swans in the County of Dublin.  Annual support has been contributed under the County Heritage Plan to a voluntary group over the last 6 years to ring-tag new cygnets in public ponds and lakes.  This project is building a picture of the importance of the Council’s parks in the support and growth of these urban swan populations.