Government Criticised Over Lack of Consultation Before Announcing Marine Park

Q: Is there a global target for MPAs?

The Rio ‘Earth Summit’ on climate change in 1992 saw a a global MPA area target of 10% by 2010 deadline. When this was not met, an “Aichi target 11” was set requiring 10% coverage by 2020. There has been repeated efforts since then to tighten up MPA requirements.

Government Criticised Over Lack of Consultation Before Announcing Marine Park

27th May 2024

Afloat.ie Team

The Blaskets are included in the new park, Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, that is centred around Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry and includes the Conor Pass, the Owenmore River catchment, lands at Mount Brandon and the sand dune system at Inch Peninsula

Marine expert Dr Kevin Flannery has criticised the Government over its lack of adequate consultation with local fishers in advance of announcing the State’s first marine national park.

The new park, Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, involves some 70,000 acres of Kerry’s land and sea and is centred around Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry.

It includes the Conor Pass, the Owenmore River catchment, lands at Mount Brandon and the sand dune system at Inch Peninsula.

Sites already under Irish state ownership, such as the limestone reefs of Kerry Head shoals and the waters around the Blasket islands, are also included.

Marine expert Dr Kevin Flannery

Two ministers – housing minister Darragh O’Brien and education minister Norma Foley -along with two junior ministers made the announcement in Kerry late last month.

However Dr Kevin Flannery, rare fish expert and former fisheries officer, said that there was a lot of concern in advance of the announcement, given the lack of consultation in advance.

“A pre-launch meeting was held with fishermen’s representatives, and they were informed that there would be no change to the current status quo with regard to all current fishing operations and regulations,” Flannery said.

“There was a “mea culpa” from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for not informing fishermen, but as usual fishermen do not fit in with this government’s green agenda,” Flannery said.

“The only worrying aspect is that it would be quite easy for the Government to say now that this park will be a marine protected area (MPA) as part of the 30 per cent EU MPA requirements,” he said.

“There just has to be prior consultation when people’s livelihoods are at stake,”Flannery said.

Lands on the Great Blasket island, the globally significant UNESCO World Heritage property of Skellig Michael, the Little Skellig rock and Puffin island and An Tiaracht nature reserve, managed by the Irish lighthouse service, are part of the park.

The NPWS says the sea locations are internationally important sites for rare and endangered seabirds, and described as of enormous significance for biodiversity. The shallow bays are important breeding sites for sharks and rays, and include an extensive and biologically rich marine limestone reef system.

The indicative map of the first Marine National Park announced on the Kerry coastline " title=" The indicative map of the first Marine National Park announced on the Kerry coastline

In a response from the Department of Housing, which includes the NPWS, a spokesman said that “all of the sites in Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí are designated Natura sites under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives in their own right under European law, or as statutory nature reserves”.

“This means that the pre-existing regulatory requirements, designations and restrictions on activities in these sites remain in place. And these are well understood by the fishing and farming communities,” the spokesman said.

Activities requiring consent before the announcement “are the same as those resulting from the creation of the Páirc”, he said.

“Clearly, as stressed, there will be further engagement with all communities of stakeholders as we move forward,” he said.

The announcement has been welcomed by the Fair Seas coalition which has been campaigning for the 30 per cent MPA commitment in Irish waters.

Published in Marine Planning, Fishing, Marine Wildlife

Published in Marine Planning

Tagged under

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

Plans for Marine Park in Connemara Rejected by Udaras na Gaeltachta
Galway Harbour

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - FAQS

What is a marine protected area?

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are geographically defined maritime areas where human activities are managed to protect important natural or cultural resources. In addition to conserving marine species and habitats, MPAs can support maritime economic activity and reduce the effects of climate change and ocean acidification.

Where are MPAs located?

MPAs can be found across a range of marine habitats, from the open ocean to coastal areas, intertidal zones, bays and estuaries. Marine protected areas are defined areas where human activities are managed to protect important natural or cultural resources.

Where was the world’s first MPA?

The world's first MPA is said to have been the Fort Jefferson National Monument in Florida, North America, which covered 18,850 hectares of sea and 35 hectares of coastal land. This location was designated in 1935, but the main drive for MPAs came much later. The current global movement can be traced to the first World Congress on National Parks in 1962, and initiation in 1976 of a process to deliver exclusive rights to sovereign states over waters up to 200 nautical miles out then began to provide new focus

Is there a global target for MPAs?

The Rio ‘Earth Summit’ on climate change in 1992 saw a global MPA area target of 10% by the 2010 deadline. When this was not met, an “Aichi target 11” was set requiring 10% coverage by 2020. There has been repeated efforts since then to tighten up MPA requirements.

Where is the world’s largest MPA?

Marae Moana is a multiple-use marine protected area created on July 13th 2017 by the government of the Cook islands in the south Pacific, north- east of New Zealand. The area extends across over 1.9 million square kilometres. However, In September 2019, Jacqueline Evans, a prominent marine biologist and Goldman environmental award winner who was openly critical of the government's plans for seabed mining, was replaced as director of the park by the Cook Islands prime minister’s office. The move attracted local media criticism, as Evans was responsible for developing the Marae Moana policy and the Marae Moana Act, She had worked on raising funding for the park, expanding policy and regulations and developing a plan that designates permitted areas for industrial activities.

How are MPAs chosen?

Criteria for identifying and selecting MPAs depends on the overall objective or direction of the programme identified by the coastal state. For example, if the objective is to safeguard ecological habitats, the criteria will emphasise habitat diversity and the unique nature of the particular area.

Are MPAs permanent?

Permanence of MPAs can vary internationally. Some are established under legislative action or under a different regulatory mechanism to exist permanently into the future. Others are intended to last only a few months or years.

Does Ireland have any MPAs?

Yes, Ireland has MPA cover in about 2.13 per cent of our waters. Although much of Ireland’s marine environment is regarded as in “generally good condition”, according to an expert group report for Government published in January 2021, it says that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are of “wide concern due to increasing pressures such as overexploitation, habitat loss, pollution, and climate change”.

Are there plans to expand MPAs in Irish waters?

The Government has set a target of 30 per cent MPA coverage by 2030, and moves are already being made in that direction. However, environmentalists are dubious, pointing out that a previous target of ten per cent by 2020 was not met.

What are the international obligations on MPAs?

Conservation and sustainable management of the marine environment has been mandated by a number of international agreements and legal obligations, as an expert group report to government has pointed out. There are specific requirements for area-based protection in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the OSPAR Convention, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Are there specific EU obligations?

Yes, the Marine Strategy Framework directive (2008/56/EC) required member states to put measures in place to achieve or maintain good environmental status in their waters by 2020. Under the directive a coherent and representative network of MPAs had to be created by 2016.

How does Ireland compare to other coastal countries for MPAs?

Ireland was about halfway up the EU table in designating protected areas under existing habitats and bird directives in a comparison published by the European Commission in 2009. However, the Fair Seas campaign, an environmental coalition formed in 2022, points out that Ireland is “lagging behind “ even our closest neighbours, such as Scotland which has 37 per cent. The Fair Seas campaign wants at least 10 per cent of Irish waters to be designated as “fully protected” by 2025, and “at least” 30 per cent by 2030.

How is our nearest neighbour, Britain, doing on MPAs?

Nearly a quarter of Britain’s territorial waters are covered by MPAs, set up to protect vital ecosystems and species. However, a conservation NGO, Oceana, said that analysis of fishing vessel tracking data published in The Guardian in October 2020 found that more than 97% of British MPAs created to safeguard ocean habitats, are being dredged and bottom trawled.

How are Irish MPAs protected?

There’s the rub. Currently, there is no definition of an MPA in Irish law, and environment protections under the Wildlife Acts only apply to the foreshore.

So is there any protection for sensitive habitats and species beyond the foreshore?

Current protection in marine areas beyond 12 nautical miles is limited to measures taken under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives or the OSPAR Convention. This means that habitats and species that are not listed in the EU Directives, but which may be locally, nationally or internationally important, cannot currently be afforded the necessary protection

Is legislation planned for Ireland?

Yes. In late March 2022, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said that the Government had begun developing “stand-alone legislation” to enable identification, designation and management of MPAs to meet Ireland’s national and international commitments.

That sounds like good news for MPAs in Ireland?

Yes. Environmental groups are not happy, as they have pointed out that legislation on marine planning took precedence over legislation on MPAs, due to the push to develop offshore renewable energy.

Is all activity banned in MPAs?

No, but some activities may be banned or restricted. Extraction is the main activity affected as in oil and gas activities; mining; dumping; and bottom trawling

Is there a cost to MPAs?

The Government’s expert group report noted that MPA designations are likely to have the greatest influence on the “capture fisheries, marine tourism and aquaculture sectors”. It said research suggests that the net impacts on fisheries could ultimately be either positive or negative and will depend on the type of fishery involved and a wide array of other factors.

Is there an economic benefit to MPAs?

The same report noted that marine tourism and recreation sector can substantially benefit from MPA designation. However, it said that the “magnitude of the benefits” will depend to a large extent on the location of the MPA sites within the network and the management measures put in place.