Leitrim County Council's decision to approve plans for a 25-turbine wind farm on upland blanket bog has been appealed by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC).
The council, which campaigns to save Ireland's surviving bogs, complained that the Airtricity scheme would threaten an internationally important Special Area of Conservation (SAC) on Boleybrack Mountain, five miles from Manorhamilton.
Ms Caroline Hurley, the IPCC's conservation officer, asked why the National Parks and Wildlife Service was doing nothing to protect the area from the Airtricity scheme and a smaller 12-turbine scheme by Stuart Hydro Ltd.
She described Boleybrack Mountain SAC as "one of the most intact, wild expanses of upland blanket bog left in Ireland".
She added: "It comprises a rich diversity of habitats, and is dominated by active mountain blanket bog [a priority habitat] and wet heath. As the bog is an SAC, its conservation value has been recognised at a European level."
Ms Hurley said the IPCC was "deeply disappointed" that the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which deals with SACs, had not opposed the plan.
She said the two Boleybrack wind farms would mean digging foundation pits for 37 turbines and the building of access roads within the SAC. "These would be damaging to the sensitive peatland habitats and the species they support," she said.
"The IPCC feels that this is a reckless proposal given that blanket bogs are sensitive to bog bursts and peat slippage. Only three months ago there was a major peat slippage in the Slieve Aughty Mountains at Derrybrien in Co Galway."
The IPCC accepts that wind farms provide a welcome alternative to burning fossil fuels, but opposes these developments if they affect sensitive areas.
A spokesman for Airtricity said it had intended to develop a much larger wind farm at Boleybrack. However, after consulting the National Parks and Wildlife Service, it had agreed to reduce the number of turbines to 25. He said the project had been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by three parties, including the IPCC.
A spokesman for the National Parks and Wildlife Service said it had made representations to the county council about aspects of the development. The fact that it did not lodge an appeal was an indication that these had been taken on board.
