Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

231 Chapter 9: The Marine Environment Figure 9.12  Geographical area of the proposed South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) Source: DECC, 2024 4. Responses Ireland’s MSFD Programme of Measures, led by the DHLGH, sets out Ireland’s plan to maintain or achieve GES for our marine waters up to 2028. The Programme of Measures considered the assessment of Ireland’s environmental status and the environmental targets outlined in Ireland’s Marine Strategy Part 1 (DHLGH, 2020). Among the actions set out in the programme are those to: ■ develop and expand Ireland’s MPAs to cover 30% of our marine area by 2030 (including planned enactment of the Marine Protected Areas Bill in 2024) ■ develop nature-based solutions in coastal and marine systems to protect biodiversity, improve resilience to climate change and reduce the impact of pollution ■ provide environmental guidance for offshore renewable energy ■ develop an all-Ireland management strategy for non-indigenous species and invasive species in coastal and marine areas ■ update guidance on reducing underwater noise pollution to protect marine mammals ■ fully implement the Single Use Plastics Directive and Circular Economy Act as part of a wide range of actions aimed at reducing litter and plastics in our seas. While the WFD Water Action Plan mentions the need for better integration of actions to protect shellfish waters and aquaculture, there are few clear measures specifically targeting marine waters. There is, however, an increase in the number of priority action areas that include transitional and coastal water bodies. Feedback from the public consultation process highlighted the failure of the draft plan to adequately address coastal pressures and the scarcity of measures to address coastal and transitional issues.