Seán Haughey
Question:317. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Ireland is on track to meet the target of 10% marine protected areas by the mid-2030s. [18558/23]
View answerThursday, 18 May 2023
Questions (317)
Written answers
The Government is committed to achieving 30% Marine Protected Area (MPA) coverage of Ireland's Maritime Area by 2030, in line with the Programme for Government, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and a number of International initiatives such as the UN post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
There is an existing 10% target to be reached as soon as is practical. We are now close to achieving that figure with approximately 8.3% protected area coverage of our seas and ocean at present, made up of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. Further work is being done in that regard to bolster this Natura 2000 network of sites in Ireland, as required under the Directives.
Significant work is also ongoing in my Department to draft the Marine Protected Areas Bill, following publication of the General Scheme of the Bill in December 2022. Once enacted, this legislation will be the primary mechanism by which our MPA network is expanded to reach its target of 30% by 2030 (30x30), as committed to by Government.