Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2005
467 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason 80% of the nationally proposed SAC areas are in counties Galway and Mayo; if there will be a more even distribution of proposed designated areas throughout the country; if the EU directive sought 70% of land to be designated; the reason it is proposed that 14% of land nationally be designated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18054/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EU habitats directive requires member states to propose areas for designation as special areas of conservation to conserve the habitat types listed on Annex I of the directive and the animal and plant species listed on Annex II of the directive. In selecting suitable sites, member states are required to use the scientific criteria set out in Annex III of the directive.
The directive does not specify a percentage of land to be designated but it requires member states to designate special areas of conservation for habitats and species on Annexes I and II which occur in their territories. In Ireland, this has led to the designation of special areas of conservation for 60 habitat types and 25 animal or plant species. Some 420 candidate special areas of conservation have been publicly notified. Most of the areas have now been formally transmitted by Ireland to the European Commission and adopted as part of a European list. They cover approximately 10.2% of Ireland's land and freshwater area. The figure of 14% is arrived at when marine areas covered by special areas of conservation designations are included and expressed as a percentage of the land and freshwater area.
Approximately one third of the total area of Ireland's proposed special areas of conservation is in counties Galway and Mayo. The extent of designations in the counties reflects their higher than average proportion of the habitat types and habitats of species warranting designation. Important habitat types well represented in counties Mayo and Galway include raised and blanket bogs, heaths, turloughs, sand dunes and machair, as well as rivers and estuaries containing Annex ll species.
