European Union Habitats (Ratty River Cave Special Area of Conservation 002316) Regulations 2015 (S.I. No. 626 of 2015).

These Regulations designate an area as a Special Areas of Conservation in accordance with Article 4 of European Union’s Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). The Regulations, among other things: specify in Schedule 3 natural habitat types and animal and plant species for purposes of the Directive and in order to ensure their conservation (i.e. the measures required to maintain or restore the natural habitats and the populations of species of wild fauna and flora at a favourable status); list in Schedule 4 activities that have potential to cause disturbance or damage to the natural habitat types and animal and plant species specified in Schedule 3 and that require consent of the Minister or, in some circumstances, of another public authority; provide that contravention of the provisions of these Regulations shall constitute an offence.
Activities of Schedule 4 include introduction, or re-introduction, of plants or animals not found in the area, cutting, uprooting or otherwise removing plants other than for harvesting of cultivated crops, or for grazing or mowing, application of pesticides, including herbicides, planting of trees or multi-annual bioenergy crops, felling of trees, Burning, topping, clearing scrub or rough vegetation or reseeding (consent is not required for these activities on established reseeded grassland or cultivated land provided it is greater than 20m from a river, stream or floodplain; or greater than 50m from a wetland, lake, turlough or pond). Activities other than those listed at Schedule 4 to these Regulations, such as effluent discharge, construction work, aquaculture, fishing or forestry require a licence or permission from the appropriate consent authority.