Rosalind Skillen
2024 has been a big year for Irish seas. At the same time as momentum is growing for national MPA legislation in Ireland, BirdWatch Ireland is also undertaking an important piece of work to identify marine Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in Ireland in collaboration with BirdLife International and BirdLife Europe and Central Asia. This is the first time that a comprehensive assessment of IBAs in Irish marine waters has been conducted.
What are IBAs?
IBAs are important sites for birds and biodiversity, and a certain proportion of a species population must be present in a site. Irish seabirds are currently of conservation concern with 23 out of 24 Irish breeding seabirds red or amber listed. Identifying the most important marine sites for seabirds represents a first step in turning this around to secure long-term population health and positive conservation outcomes for seabirds.
Common Guillemot. Photo: Brian Burke.
BirdWatch Ireland well underway in the IBA process
The IBA process is robust, data-driven and has been established for over three decades. It is standardised and determined by globally agreed conservation criteria, meaning it is based on science rather than political expediency. This adds an extra level of confidence for decision-makers.
The staff at BirdWatch Ireland have been busy with our analysis. The team has collated a large volume of data thanks to the collaboration of various data contributors. Seabird population counts from the most recent census were provided by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. This data gives us up-to-date counts for all 24 breeding seabirds in Ireland. Seabird tracking datasets were sourced from databases such as the BirdLife International Seabird Tracking Database and Movebank, as well as through direct contact with seabird researchers from universities such as UCC and UCD following a literature review.
Following the data collection, BirdWatch Ireland held two expert consultations with various groups including government officials, seabird researchers, environmental consultancies and organisations in March and May 2024. These events were intended to maintain a transparent and collaborative approach to Marine IBA identification. Both these expert consultations were designed to introduce the concept of IBAs, showcase our work, and provide an opportunity for feedback. In March, we shared what data had been collated for the project and gave an overview of our intended analysis. Based on expert feedback, the team were able to investigate any potential gaps in data that could be incorporated into the IBA analysis. In May, we presented our initial results. Based on the expert feedback from this consultation, the team is now further refining the preliminary IBA results. Identified sites will be sent for formal review.
Roseate Tern.
From analysis to advocacy
Once sites have been identified, BirdWatch Ireland will advocate for new SPA designations to follow IBA criteria. As part of its commitments to protect nature at sea, the Irish government has committed to designating additional SPAs as part of the Natura 2000 network, with Minister Noonan announcing a new “Seas off Wexford” SPA in January 2024. Like other countries that have used IBAs as a base reference for their own SPAs, IBA sites should inform new SPA designations in Ireland.
Hang on – what about MPAs?
Advancing the designation of marine SPA sites contributes to the existing MPA discussion in Ireland, adding a key output for decision-makers to consider (seabird species and their habitats) when proposing and designating MPAs. This project will identify a network of Marine IBAs across the Republic of Ireland that is comparable with other important sites identified globally and across the EU. This also builds on previous efforts to identify important areas in the marine environment. For example, using seabird tracking data to provide an additional ‘layer of insight’ into existing works and link already designated colonies with important feeding grounds.
Fulmar. Photo: Michael Finn.
Contributing to effective protection and restoration of Irish seas
BirdWatch Ireland are at the halfway harbour in our quest to identify marine IBAs in Ireland. The analysis has been kickstarted, preliminary sites have been produced and the project has gained a solid footing in a few short months. Our advocacy work in the months ahead will build on the scientific work currently underway. Both the volume of data and level of collaboration undertaken in this project will enable us to produce key areas of importance for seabirds, ensuring that protection and restoration measures are prioritised in Ireland’s marine area.
