Debate contribution: Sliabh Beagh: Protection from Fires and Environmental Damage
Debate contribution by Mr Colm Gildernew on .
- MLA
- Mr Colm Gildernew
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 23 September 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- Sliabh Beagh: Protection from Fires and Environmental Damage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5129895
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.
I thank Members for joining me in the Chamber to discuss a really important topic. I also thank the Minister for attending. Ireland is known for its many beautiful landscapes. Our constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone is one of the best examples of what the island has to offer. One of the more scenic areas in our constituency is, of course, Sliabh Beagh, which spans the counties of Fermanagh, Tyrone and Monaghan. Sliabh Beagh is a Ramsar convention site, an area of special scientific interest (ASSI) and a conservation area. It is a unique area that offers many other protections for birds and wildlife. Sliabh Beagh spans 10,000 hectares in total, when the upland, forestry and almost 2,000 acres of protected wetland are included. Earlier this year, Sliabh Beagh was engulfed in some of the worst wildfires that the area has ever seen, with the NIEA estimating that up to one third of the region was damaged. The wildfires absolutely decimated much of the unique biodiversity of the region, including the habitats of many of our rare protected species, such as the hen harrier, Irish hare, red squirrel, skylark, curlew, golden plover and pine marten. Sliabh Beagh is the source and rising point of three of Ireland's 20 rivers that are designated as pristine, which indicates its importance as a source of water. Sliabh Beagh is a complex, unique and precious resource that contains many other endangered species of flora and fauna. The fires impacted on the local economy, as they greatly restricted tourism for a prolonged period. Sliabh Beagh has huge eco-tourism potential. I am delighted that £6 million has been awarded from the Shared Island Fund to develop the tourism potential of the area by attracting new visitors and increasing total spend there. However, if we are to have any hope of transforming the area into a dynamic driver of local economic prosperity, we need to find an innovative and permanent solution to the wildfires. The prevalence of wildfires is increasing throughout the North, and, indeed, the rest of the island and the world as a result of the warmer climate. Wildfires can be particularly hard to extinguish because of how fast they spread, and because the remote terrain is inaccessible for fire and rescue services. Last month, I attended a presentation in the Sliabh Beagh Hotel in County Monaghan, along with my colleague Cathy Bennett TD. Diana Armstrong was also there. We heard details of a proposed new fire prevention plan that is being developed by the River Blackwater Catchment Trust. The proposal includes the use of drones both to detect fires in the first instance and as a mechanism for spraying water on top of flames in remote and inaccessible areas. It is hoped that drones will also act as a deterrent to anyone who would seek to deliberately start a fire, which is a persistent problem in the Sliabh Beagh area. It must be said that it is also critical that privacy and data protection issues be fully addressed. Any proposal of this nature, involving greater surveillance, must be proportionate and not impact on people's privacy. However, it is important that we also use emerging technologies in a way that benefits our community and our environment. I have been struck by the potential of the plan to date. It could represent an innovative and modern solution to a persistent and difficult problem. I acknowledge the Minister's recently published peatlands policy. If he could outline how it might assist with the protection of Sliabh Beagh, I would be keen to hear it. In the time ahead, it will be important that the River Blackwater Catchment Trust and all relevant cross-border agencies and bodies, including the Sliabh Beagh Trust, local councils and other relevant groups, across the island and across counties, work together on the nature of the proposal so that it will be of huge benefit to all of us in the long run. Colleagues, we should also ensure that custodians of the land, environment and community, such as our farmers and rural dwellers, are meaningfully engaged and made fully active partners in the protection and potential of our beautiful landscape for many generations to come.
708 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.91).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.91 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.81 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.18 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:11 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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