Donal Hickey: Welcome protection for seabirds but locals need consulting
The Puffin Saltee Fair On Picture: A Bradley Islands, Wexford / Vincent Seas
A decision to designate a new Seas Off Wexford Special Protection Area (SPA) has been given a guarded welcome by environmental groups, which are calling for more consultation with coastal communities.
The SPA will cover 305,000 hectares of important waters for a range of seabirds throughout the year — the biggest ever area for protecting these birds in the history of the State.
We welcome today's announcement of a new 305,000 hectare Special Protection Area for birds off Wexford.
— BirdWatch Ireland (@BirdWatchIE) January 11, 2024
These waters provide extremely important food sources for seabirds, including Red-listed species such as Puffin and Kittiwake, so it is vital we adequately protect them. https://t.co/eyaudyWiXe
Concerns for such birds have been voiced for several years, with researchers from UCC’s School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Science pointing out that various species, such as fulmar and puffin, are mainly unprotected in Irish waters.
Making the latest announcement, Minister of State for Nature, Malcolm Noonan, said the seas off Wexford now become our largest SPA.
It also increases the percentage of Ireland’s protected marine waters to just under 10% for Natura designations and makes the 10% milestone "realistically achievable" this year, he added.
The 20 species to be protected at the site include some of our rarest and most threatened birds. These waters are a valuable feeding ground for seabirds that annually return to Wexford’s coastal and island colonies to breed.
Director general of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Niall Ó Donnchú, said: “These protections are vital in a time when the pressures on our nature and biodiversity have never been greater, and the challenges of the climate emergency have never been more pressing.” Among the protected Wexford species are fulmar, Manx shearwater, gannet, cormorant, and puffin, to name a few.
The new Special Protection Area for birds off Wexford is good news, but the Government failed to consult with local stakeholders.
— Fair Seas (@FairSeasIreland) January 11, 2024
We all need healthy seas, so publish the Marine Protected Area bill now for more inclusive nature conservation.#FairSeashttps://t.co/ojQMj34EJ2
Meanwhile, the Fair Seas group, a coalition of leading environmental organisations, said the news should be a cause of celebration, but stated that proper consultation with local fishers, industry, communities and other stakeholders is vital to ensure its success.
The group is campaigning for strong, ambitious Marine Protected Area (MPA) legislation as a priority. It said the Government was already committed to introducing a Marine Protected Area Bill to protect Ireland’s seas before the Dáil summer recess, in July 2023, and to enacting legislation before the end of 2023... both targets were missed.
Fair Seas campaign coordinator, Dr Donal Griffin, welcomed the new SPA, with reservations: “It is not good enough to designate parts of the marine environment as conservation areas without talking to the people, groups and businesses which use and depend on the area for their livelihoods and recreation on a daily basis."
“The effectiveness of Ireland’s management of SPAs has already been called into question by the European Commission which is why proper consultation and the implementation of conservation measures are so badly needed. Out of 10 countries, Ireland scored lowest in planning, implementation, site management, monitoring and conservation outcomes."