Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 11th January, 2019.

I, JOSEPHA MADIGAN, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 16 of the Wildlife Act 1976 (No. 39 of 1976) (as adapted by the Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2017 ( S.I. No. 350 of 2017 )) and having consulted with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland and Meath County Council, being satisfied by the persons who are the occupiers of the land specified in Article 2, that—

(a) the land so specified includes an ecosystem described in paragraph (a) of section 15(2) of the Wildlife Act 1976 ,

(b) the interest of the said persons in or over the land so specified is such as to enable the persons to establish and manage a nature reserve on the land so specified, and

(c) the persons can, in accordance with any conditions which the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht sees fit to impose, use or manage the land so specified so as to establish and maintain a nature reserve on the land so specified,

hereby order as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Nature Reserve (Newcastle Lough) Recognition Order 2018.

2. The area of land known as Newcastle Lough in the townlands of Newcastle, Mullaghboy and Coole situate in the county of Meath being the land delineated on the map in the Schedule within the inner margin of the purple line and hatched in purple is recognised as a nature reserve.

3. The reason for recognising the land referred to in Article 2 as a nature reserve is the presence of lake, reed bed, wet grassland and woodland habitats and an associated diversity of flora and fauna.

4. The objective for which the land referred to in Article 2 is to be used or managed as a nature reserve is to maintain and enhance the diversity of the habitats and species on the land.

SCHEDULE

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

20 December 2018.

JOSEPHA MADIGAN,

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

The Order recognises the land at Newcastle Lough,County Meath, as a nature reserve due to the presence of lake, reed bed, wet grassland and woodland habitats and an associated diversity of flora and fauna so that it can be managed as a nature reserve to maintain and enhance the diversity of the habitats and species on the land.