Ireland's biggest Special Protection Area (SPA) for seabirds covering a huge part of the coast off of Wexford has been announced.
The new Seas off Wexford Special Protection Area (SPA) will cover more than 305,000 hectares of important marine waters for 20 species of bird throughout the year.
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage, and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD made the announcement, which is an addition to Ireland’s Natura 2000 network.
Last year, the Northwest Irish Sea SPA was the largest designated area for marine seabirds, but the new Wexford one is 3,000km bigger.
It increases the percentage of Ireland’s protected marine waters to just under the 10% for Natura designations promised by the Minister under the EU Biodiversity Strategy, making that 10% milestone realistically achievable within the year.
The list of protected species includes the Common Scoter, Red-throated Diver, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Gannet, Shag, Cormorant, Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Little Tern, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Puffin, Razorbill, and Guillemot.
Speaking following the announcement, Minister Noonan said:
“At 305,000 hectares, the Seas off Wexford SPA is bigger than County Wexford itself and the largest ever area to be protected for birds in the history of the State. I’m delighted to be able to announce this significant step forward for nature, and particularly for marine seabirds. Biodiversity action and climate action must go hand in hand, and we must continue to work together to protect nature while delivering a swift transition to more sustainable and renewable forms of energy.”
However, the announcement has been met with some opposition.
Fair Seas says a lack of proper community engagement, no coinciding management plans, and no sign of the promised Marine Protected Area bill is risking public trust in the process.
Fair Seas says although the news is welcome, proper consultation with local fishers, industry, communities, and other stakeholders is vital to ensure its success.
The group is campaigning for strong and ambitious Marine Protected Area (MPA) legislation to be introduced as a matter of priority.
The Government committed to introduce a Marine Protected Area bill to protect Ireland’s seas before the Dáil summer recess in July 2023, and subsequently to introduce the legislation before the end of 2023.
Both targets have now been missed.
Karin Dubsky, Founder and International Coordinator of Coastwatch said: “With the status of Ireland's birds in such a bad state, new protected areas are certainly welcome, although we strongly urge the process is changed to have stakeholder engagement at its core to ensure proper implementation, enforcement and compliance.”
Fair Seas is calling for 30% of the seas around Ireland to be effectively protected by 2030, including a target for 10% strict protection.
Strictly protected sites are the gold standard in MPA networks.
Participative stakeholder engagement at every stage, clear delivery timeframes and a robust management framework, with targeted, site-specific measures will be vital to ensure MPAs deliver for nature.
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