Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are included in Natura 2000 sites. In Ireland these protected areas are selected and designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. As part of the designation process, a series of notifiable actions were developed which include a list of activities that may alter, damage, destroy or interfere with the integrity of the site. In REPS 4 the scheme is designed to compensate farmers with utilisable agricultural land in designated Natura 2000 sites for the mandatory restrictions related to the designation. This compensation is reflected in a higher rate of payment for Natura land i.e. €242 per ha compared to €200 per ha for other land.