The seas off Wexford have been designated as a proposed new special protection area (SPA) for birds by Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan.
The new SPA adjoins eight existing SPAs designated for this area and will cover over 305,000 hectares of marine waters for a range of bird species throughout the year.
The area under the EU Birds Directive surpasses the north-west Irish Sea SPA designated for seabirds last year, Noonan said.
The Wexford 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.
Gannetts on the Saltee Islands Photo: Vincent Bradley
It also makes that 10% milestone “realistically achievable within the current year”, he says.
“At 305,000 hectares, the seas off Wexford SPA is bigger than Co Wexford itself and the largest ever area to be protected for birds in the history of the State,” Noonan said.
“ 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,” he said.
“ 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,” he said.
National Parks and Wildlife Service director general Niall Ó Donnchú said the designation represented “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,” he said.
“ 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,” he said.
The marine waters off the coast of Co Wexford mark the boundary between the Irish and Celtic Seas, and the new SPA extends offshore along most of the county’s coast.
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 at www.npws.ie/protectedsites.
Objections or observations, which may only be based on scientific or ornithological grounds, can be submitted to the email address [email protected].
Bird species covered by the proposed SPA designation are: 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.
Razorbills on the Saltee Islands Wexford Photo: Vincent Bradley
Four of the existing SPAs in this area are designated for breeding seabirds, namely Lady’s Island Lake SPA, Wexford Harbour and Slobs SPA, Keeragh Islands SPA and Saltee Islands SPA.
The Fair Seas coalition of environmental organisations said the proposed SPA should be a cause for celebration, but said that” a lack of proper community engagement, no coinciding management plans and no sign of the promised Marine Protected Area (MPA) bill is risking public trust in the process”.
Fair Seas said that “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 MPA legislation to be introduced as a matter of priority”.
