Debate contribution: Sliabh Beagh: Protection from Fires and Environmental Damage

Debate contribution by Ms Diane Forsythe on 23 September 2025.

MLA

Ms Diane Forsythe

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

23 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Sliabh Beagh: Protection from Fires and Environmental Damage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5129909

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Member for bringing the Adjournment debate to the House. In May, the peatland at Sliabh Beagh suffered major damage from a wildfire that had been set deliberately. Although I am not a representative for the area, I know all too well the damage that wildfires can cause. Recently, following significant fires in the Mournes, I met the PSNI, the Fire and Rescue Service and a local search and rescue charity, Sky Watch NI. I had the deputy First Minister out in the wake of those fires. Recent fires have caused untold damage to biodiversity, wildlife and natural habitats in the Sliabh Beagh area. Without dedicated and professional efforts, the devastation could have been much worse. I pay tribute to all our emergency services. With over 25 firefighters and five pumping appliances deployed, the fire still managed to damage one third of Sliabh Beagh significantly. As has been said, peat fires differ from other wildfires, because the peat can burn underground for days or even weeks. They are harder to extinguish and cause more destruction. I have heard about the work of the River Blackwater Catchment Trust, which Diana mentioned. I have read about some of its work on turning to drone technology as a potential solution for monitoring and protecting the area. It has trialled thermal-imaging surveillance drones. Once a fire is detected, those drones can transmit real-time high-resolution images. The early warning system is designed to accelerate response times. The trust plans to trial large agricultural spraying drones that could dampen fires before they spread. That technology is very much in the experimental phase, but we should collectively support any innovation that could combat the problem and look at how it might be rolled out across Northern Ireland. We support a multi-agency approach to tackling wildfires, and we have seen our emergency services in action this year. Once ignited, the fires spread rapidly, putting life, property and wildlife at risk. As someone who lives close to the foot of the Mournes, I see the rate at which some of those significant fires descend on people's homes, and it is, frankly, terrifying. It is important that we rededicate our attention here to continuing the work that was ongoing prior to this fire to maintain the environment and biodiversity in the area. Therefore, it will be critical to measure the full extent of the impact on our environment in order to scope an appropriate response and restoration interventions. DAERA and the NIEA must work proactively to assess the damage fully. However, tragically, it is likely to take decades to recover from the loss incurred in biodiversity and the environment. Stopping the fires should also be a key driver in the response. Enforcement and legislation must be strengthened to deal with the problem. We cannot afford to take our environment for granted, particularly given its importance to tourism and our local communities. We are also supportive of examining the potential for a greater use of firebreaks to limit future damage. Under-grazing can lead to gorse drying off and posing a risk of wildfires that would stretch across a far wider area than the two metres that would be removed to create a firebreak. Again, I thank the Member for tabling this important debate in the House. In representing rural constituencies with specific issues, it is an incredibly important issue to bring to the Floor of the Northern Ireland Assembly, and I look forward to hearing from the Minister on it.

581 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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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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