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Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan has announced another significant addition to Ireland’s Natura 2000 network. The new Seas off Wexford Special Protection Area (SPA), which is to be designated under the EU Birds Directive, will cover more than 305,000 hectares of important marine waters for a range of bird species throughout the year.
Surpassing the Northwest Irish Sea SPA that was designated as the largest site for marine seabirds just last year, the Seas off Wexford SPA, at more than 3,000 square kilometres, becomes the largest Special Protection Area in Ireland. The designation 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, and makes that 10% milestone realistically achievable within the current year.
The new SPA adjoins eight existing SPAs already designated in this area, four of which are designated for breeding seabirds, and the publication of detailed information and maps for the site brings certainty and clarity to a long-mooted proposal for protections for marine birds in this area.
Speaking today, 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. This government is working hard to ensure robust biodiversity protections, just as we are working hard to deliver on our offshore renewable energy objectives. 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.”
Director General of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Niall Ó Donnchú, said:
“This designation of the Seas off Wexford is another determined step by Ireland to protect our marine birdlife. The 20 species protected at this site are some of our rarest and most threatened birds, and these waters are a valuable feeding resource for the seabirds that return every spring to Wexford’s coastal and island colonies to breed. Outside of the summer months, these relatively shallow coastal waters provide safe feeding and roosting opportunities for a range of marine birds overwintering here or on passage.
"These protections are vital in a time when the pressures on our nature and biodiversity have never been greater, and the challenges of the climate emergency have never been more pressing.”
The marine waters off the coast of County Wexford mark the boundary between the Irish and Celtic Seas.
The new Seas off Wexford SPA extends offshore along most of the coast of County Wexford. More detailed information about the site, including a map, a species list and a list of the Activities Requiring Consent (ARCs) for the site is available on www.npws.ie/protectedsites.
In keeping with the Birds and Habitats Regulations 2011, following publication of the notice of intention to designate, any person with an interest in the proposed site may submit an objection or observation at the following email address: objections@npws.gov.ie
Objections or observations may only be based on scientific, ornithological grounds.
The new site will be a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EU Birds Directive, of special conservation interest for the following species:
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.
The new site adjoins eight existing SPAs already designated for the protection of birds along the coast. Four of these existing SPAs are designated for breeding seabirds, namely Lady’s Island Lake SPA, Wexford Harbour and Slobs SPA, Keeragh Islands SPA and Saltee Islands SPA.