These sites should be the basis for new Protected Areas and inform the location of offshore wind farms.
Check out our Seabird IBAs webpage and the interactive map.
Today, on July 3rd, World Seabird Day, BirdWatch Ireland, Ireland’s largest conservation NGO, in conjunction with BirdLife International, publishes the 73 most important areas for seabirds in Ireland. 24 areas have been identified in Irish marine waters, along with 49 terrestrial sites on the coast and on islands which host breeding colonies.
These sites form part of a global network of the most significant sites for the conservation of birds that have been identified by BirdLife International and its national partners, including BirdWatch Ireland, known as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). These new Irish sites for seabirds are now part of the IBA network of 14,021 sites in 243 countries and territories, covering 11,195 bird species across 16 flyways.
The 24 marine sites and 8 of the terrestrial sites are newly identified IBAs. The Irish Government is legally obliged under the Birds Directive to designate areas important for breeding, feeding and wintering for certain bird species, including migratory birds, as Special Protection Areas (SPAs). BirdWatch Ireland and BirdLife International are calling for these IBAs to be designated as SPAs. The 41 other terrestrial sites are existing IBAs or SPAs which should now be legally updated by the State.
The Irish Government has committed to protecting 30% of Irish marine waters by 2030. If the marine IBAs identified by BirdWatch Ireland and BirdLife International are designated, they will make a significant contribution to the 30×30 target.
BirdWatch Ireland is also calling for the development of management plans for Ireland’s SPAs in an open and transparent way, in consultation with relevant stakeholders and with clearly defined and quantifiable, science-based conservation objectives and management measures, to ensure that seabird population can survive and thrive amid significant pressures and threats.
Ireland is hugely important for seabirds with up to three quarters of a million birds gathering at colonies every year to nest. It is of particular importance for breeding Manx Shearwater, Storm Petrel and Roseate Tern. 23 of our 24 breeding seabirds are Red or Amber-Listed Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland. Globally one third of seabirds are considered threatened and half are declining in population.
Andrew Kelly, CEO of BirdWatch Ireland, said, “Ireland is a very important place for seabirds like the Puffin and Black-legged Kittiwake, both of which are in trouble globally. Pressures such as climate change, overfishing and marine plastic pollution, but also human disturbance and predation by rodents at breeding colonies are all having an impact. Today’s publication of Ireland’s Seabird IBAs provides critical information for government and industry to protect, conserve and restore areas for seabirds.”
The process to identify and map the IBAs was undertaken by BirdWatch Ireland and BirdLife International scientists, who collated all available seabird survey data, including the state funded ObServe aerial survey data, as well as seabird tracking data. This data was then analysed against BirdLife International’s criteria for IBAs. Transparency was essential from the start and there was significant consultation with stakeholders, including other national and international seabird experts, government departments, the offshore wind sector, environmental consultants and NGOs.
Ariel Brunner, Director of BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, said, “The Irish Government now has the data showing the most critical areas for seabirds in Irish waters. It must now designate these sites as Special Protected Areas and ensure that they are effectively managed. This means excluding harmful activities and using them to inform the location of new offshore renewables developments so they deliver real protection for seabirds.”
Oonagh Duggan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at BirdWatch Ireland, said, “Climate change is a significant threat to humans and seabirds alike. Rolling out renewable energy infrastructure is essential to national efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but this must be done in a way that doesn’t impact seabirds further. Biodiversity protection and the restoration of marine ecosystems must be pursued hand-in-hand and with equal ambition as offshore renewables expansion and our IBA data must be used to inform planning for offshore renewables. But what is very worrying is that there doesn’t appear to be any roadmap for designating new protected areas or management plans for existing protected areas and there’s no sign of the MPA bill. The Taoiseach said at the UN Oceans Conference that he wants Ireland to be a leader on maritime policy, then we need to start with designating these IBAs and bringing forward the MPA bill as soon as possible”.
Since the Birds Directive came into law in 1979, Ireland has been required to designate areas for birds, in order to ensure that they can fulfil their lifecycles and so that populations can survive and thrive. It is only in the last 3 years that Ireland has begun the designation of marine SPAs for seabirds. Currently, just 1.6% of Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone is designated for seabirds.
The designation and proper protection of IBAs can be considered the minimum steps essential to ensure the survival of many bird species across their ranges and throughout their lifecycles. They are also a critical tool to assist government, regulators and a range of industries in their legal obligations to ensure no significant adverse impacts to this group of birds. This is particularly relevant in the area of marine spatial planning for offshore wind energy development.
Notes:
- The list of the 73 IBAs and the seabird species associated with them can be found in this report. The 49 colony / breeding sites are found in Table 2 page 20 and the marine sites are listed on Table 4 page 35:https://birdwatchireland.ie/publications/ireland-important-bird-and-biodiversity-area-identification-for-seabirds/
- The report which includes the methodology on how we delineated the IBAs for seabirds is available on the BirdWatch Ireland IBA web page here : https://birdwatchireland.ie/publications/ireland-important-bird-and-biodiversity-area-identification-for-seabirds/
- A summary briefing document has been published and is available here https://birdwatchireland.ie/publications/important-bird-and-biodiversity-areas-for-seabirds-in-ireland-brief/
- The BirdLife Data Zone can be accessed here https://datazone.birdlife.org/about-our-science/ibas
- Shapefiles of Ireland’s IBAs for seabirds can be requested through BirdLife International’s Data Zone here https://datazone.birdlife.org/search
