EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 6: Nature Designations in Ireland Conservation and protection priority actions are designed to enhance Ireland’s biodiversity. Ireland was obliged to establish the conservation priorities, objectives and measures to maintain or restore the species and habitats present in SACs to a favourable condition by 2014. In April 2016, the European Commission called on Ireland to step up its nature protection measures by formally designating SACs and establishing conservation objectives and measures. 16 A total of 430 SACs are legally protected in Ireland, although currently a little over 40 per cent of these have yet to be formally designated by statutory instruments (DCHG, 2019a). To date, 150 of the 154 SPAs in Ireland are statutorily designated, although all share full protection under the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. In January 2019, the European Commission also urged Ireland, among other Member States, to protect the environment against alien species through implementation of the EU regulation on invasive alien species [Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014] and to step up implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) to protect marine waters. 17 In Ireland’s 2019 Environmental Implementation Review (EU, 2019), the European Commission outlined the priority actions that should be taken to protect, conserve and enhance our natural capital. These include: n complete the Natura 2000 designation process and put in place clearly defined conservation objectives along with the necessary measures to meet those objectives n ensure that burning in uplands (particularly in Natura 2000 areas) and hedgerow cutting are fully compatible with the requirements of the Habitats and Birds Directives n increase efforts to manage blanket bogs n take practical steps to address the serious decline of waders and to further develop the conservation programme for the curlew, both inside and outside protected areas. In July 2020, the European Commission announced that it had decided to refer Ireland to the Court of Justice of the EU in relation to the designation of Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/ EEC). The Commission stated that 154 Sites of Community Importance (out of 423) had not yet been designated as SACs in the Atlantic biogeographical region, site- specific conservation objectives had not been established for 87 sites, and the necessary conservation measures had not been established at any of the 423 sites. 18 16 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ MEMO_16_1452 17 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-19-462_en.htm 18 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_1235 Beyond the Natura Network Ireland has a network of Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), which are given protection under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act (2000). Some 140 peatlands have been designated as NHAs and there are a further 630 proposed NHAs, which are afforded limited protection before formal designation. Measures are needed to ensure that these areas can add value to the network of protected areas across the country, linking habitats and enhancing landscapes to help reverse the current decline in habitats and species. Marine Protected Areas are covered in Chapter 8 The Marine Environment. Opportunities exist to find solutions to the decline in nature through floodwater management, the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC; Chapter 7), European Innovation Partnership projects (Chapter 13), agri- environment schemes and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP; Chapter 13). CAP4Nature 19 is a set of key principles identified by independent scientists that underpins the multiple benefits that nature provides to agriculture and society. Incorporating nature-based farming solutions into Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan, being developed for implementation post-2020, can enhance farmers’ livelihoods through payments for environmental public goods. The Heritage Bill was signed into Irish law in 2018. 20 One of the issues covered under the Bill has highlighted a lack of available information about the breeding season for some species of birds in Ireland, pointing to a need for further research and discussion to gather the evidence base on which legislative decisions affecting and protecting nature are made. Under the Bill, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has the discretion to alter the period during the year when the burning of vegetation and hedgerow cutting are allowed, under certain conditions and dependent on the presence of protected species, for a pilot phase of 2 years. The Minister decided not to alter either period in 2019 or the spring of 2020; however, the passing of this legislation has sparked concerns for some breeding bird species. 19 https://www.cap4nature.com 20 https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/act/2018/15/eng/enacted/a1518. pdf 143