A €25 million project is to oversee the designation of 30 per cent of Irish seas as marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2030, though doubts remain if critical enabling legislation will get across the line before the next election.
The MPA bill, currently with the Attorney General’s office, has far-reaching consequences for conservation of marine species and habitats; for offshore wind development and future fishing in Irish waters. MPAs are well established globally as a conservation tool.
The absence of cornerstone legislation, it is understood, is a source of continuing tension within the Coalition as it was proposed by the Green Party and agreed in the programme for government.
At an event in Dublin where he announced details of the MPA LIFE project jointly funded by the EU and Department of Housing, Minister for Nature Malcolm Noonan said he hoped to have the Bill enacted early next year if the Government goes to full term.
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Separately, Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan said at a briefing he wanted the MPA Bill to go through before the election.
The Irish Times understands a stamped draft of the legislation was completed by the Department of Housing in May with a view to immediate publication to minimise any delay. While they had no difficult with the thrust of the legislation, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, and Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications raised issues about other aspects, preventing it from going before Cabinet.
Ministers attempted to agree policy directions and resolve outstanding issues with drafting instructions due to go back to the AG’s office over the summer but, according to sources, these were not submitted until mid-September to the office of the parliamentary counsel, which is currently tied up drafting the Finance Bill.
Mr Noonan said the legislation was critical to the LIFE project though it could proceed. “Given the significant – and much needed – change envisaged by this Bill, the process towards publishing it has become protracted but we absolutely have to get the legal framework right if we are to have a final piece of legislation which will be a game-changer for marine protection.”
The legislation was novel and complex with strong elements for public participation, he said. “With huge investment of time and effort in this to date – by my department, other Government departments and the AG’s office – we have the firm foundations for a truly remarkable Bill ... I hope to have the final draft published by the end of the year.”
The National Parks & Wildlife Service was working hard towards the 30 per cent target, Mr Noonan said. “We have already reached one third of this goal, with new special areas of conservation (SACs) in the northeast Atlantic and special Protection areas (SPAs) in the northwest Irish Sea and seas off Wexford, together comprising almost 3.25 million hectares of our marine waters. “These designations have brought protected area coverage in our seas from 2.3 to almost 10 per cent in the lifetime of this Government.”
Confirmation that the MPA Bill is still not ready for publication, and may only be ready before year end, is “deeply disappointing”, said Sorley McCaughey of the Fairs Seas campaign. “It calls into question whether this Government are going to have sufficient time to introduce, never mind enact this crucial piece of environmental legislation,” he added.
“We need the initiatives like the LIFE project to be grounded and supported by strong MPA legislation to ensure they are as effective as they can possibly be,” Mr McCaughey said. “Without legislation, we are in danger of adopting a piece meal ad hoc approach to marine conservation that will not achieve our goal of protecting our seas.”
Under the LIFE project, experts from University College Dublin will focus on ecology and what the MPAs can achieve; University College Cork researchers will consider the social side and stakeholders involved, and University of Galway scientists will address the economic impacts on industry and communities.
UCD’s vice-president for sustainability Prof Tasman Crowe, who will lead the research partners said: “Ireland has a significant opportunity to make very impactful changes to protect and restore precious marine ecosystems and enable them to thrive. The changes will need to be carefully designed to ensure that they are effective and that the benefits and costs are shared as fairly as possible. We are delighted to work with the Government on the research and development of this important project for Ireland’s environment and people.”
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