Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
224. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 83 of 15 February 2023 and 294 of 29 November 2022, if there is a time-line for delivery of a conservation plan for SACs under the directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26958/23]
View answerArticle 6.1 of the Habitats Directive relates to the appropriate management of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). There are currently 441 SACs in Ireland. Detailed site-specific conservation objective documents have been published for 431 of these SACs and a programme is in place to prepare and publish such documents for the remaining SACs. These objectives set out targets that need to be reached in order for the habitats and species in those sites to reach favourable conservation condition. The Habitats Directive does not place an obligation on Member States to publish conservation plans and at present there is no commitment to the delivery of individual conservation plans for each SAC. However there are conservation measures either in place, in progress or planned for many habitats and species within the SAC network.
