MPA zonation scheme

This layer shows the zonation of Tavolara MPA

The basic designation for wildlife is the Natural Heritage Area (NHA). This is an area considered nationally important for the habitats present or that holds species of plants and animals whose habitat needs protection. They are protected under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act of 2000. These areas have been designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Dept. of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Nature Reserve is an area of importance to wildlife, which is protected under Ministerial order. Most are owned by the State. However, some are owned by organisations or private landowners, and persons interested in acquiring statutory protection for their lands can seek advice on this matter from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage who are the parent department of the National Parks and Wildlife service in Ireland.

This dataset displays the UNESCO geoparks and biospheres along the Irish coast.

The EU Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) requires designation of SPAs for: listed rare and vulnerable species; regularly occurring migratory species, such as ducks, geese and waders; wetlands, especially those of international importance, which attract large numbers of migratory birds each year. (Internationally important means that 1% of the population of a species uses the site, or more than 20,000 birds regularly use the site.) This is a national dataset created by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage.

These are prime wildlife conservation areas in the country, considered to be important on a European as well as Irish level. Detailed conservation objectives are available for some SACs and as additional ones are approved they will be posted on the NPWS website (www.npws.ie). The legal basis on which SACs are selected and designated is the EU Habitats Directive, transposed into Irish law in the as amended in 1998 and 2005. The Directive lists certain habitats and species that must be protected within SACs. The areas chosen as SAC in Ireland cover an area of approximately 13,500 sq. km. Roughly 53% is land, the remainder being marine or large lakes. Across the EU, over 12,600 sites have been identified and proposed, covering 420,000 sq. km of land and sea, an area the size of Germany.