Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

225 Chapter 9: The Marine Environment Topic Box 9.2  New special protection designations The North-West Irish Sea Special Protection Area (SPA) was designated under the EU Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) in late 2023. It will cover more than 2300 km 2 of important marine waters for a range of bird species throughout the year. The Seas off Wexford SPA, designated in January 2024, is over 3000 km 2 in size and is the largest SPA in Ireland. The designation increases the percentage of Ireland’s protected marine waters. Figure 9.7 maps Ireland’s marine SPAs and SACs. Figure 9.7  The boundaries of the new North-West Irish Sea and Seas off Wexford SPAs and the new Porcupine Shelf and Southern Canyons SACs