The Irish Government has announced newly protected marine sites and government approval of the General Scheme of the Marine Protected Areas Bill. Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, said: “We started from a low base of 2.3% marine protection in 2020, but since I became Minister we have more than tripled the overall size of protected areas in the sea to 8.3%, and are on track to reach 10% by the middle of next year. This, plus progress on the new MPA Bill, puts Ireland in an excellent position to deliver on its ambition for protected areas across 30% of our maritime area – that’s twice the size of our landmass – by 2030.”

Two new Special Areas of Conservation have been selected under the EU Habitats Directive, totalling a combined 3 million hectares: one in an area off the northwest coast and another off the south. Both were selected due to the presence of the internationally-protected deep-water reef habitat, a unique ecosystem that supports a wide range of marine species.

NGOs welcome the creation of two new marine protection sites for biodiversity 

Dr Donal Griffin, Marine Policy Officer with Fair Seas said,  “The designation of the new SACs is such positive news for these unique offshore ecosystems including beautifully delicate and colourful cold water reefs. These ecosystems and habitats are extremely vulnerable to physical disturbance and damage, which is why their SAC designation is so important. Like any MPA, their effectiveness at protecting or restoring conservation features, comes down to how well the site is managed. The Government now has a responsibility to ensure these new offshore SACs are effectively managed going forward.”

Southern Canyons and Porcupine Shelf SACs

The Southern Canyons SAC site is approximately 280 km south of counties Cork and Kerry. It’s home to diverse reef communities and corals, as well as larger fauna such as long-finned pilot whales and numerous fish species. The site includes the Whittard Canyon system described as comparable in scale and drama to the Grand Canyon in the USA. Important at-risk species of seabird are frequently present here such as the red-listed kittiwake and puffin.

The Porcupine Shelf SAC site extends north from an area due west of Clew Bay, Co Mayo to an area west of Malin Head, Co Donegal. Biologically sensitive reef-forming, cold-water coral species are found in this area. So too are various species of whale, dolphin, shark and ray. A range of breeding birds including the arctic tern, puffin, storm-petrel and Manx shearwater are also found in this area.

The press release from Fair Seas can be found here and the Irish Government press release can be read here.