Special Area of Conservation (SAC)

Special Area of Conservation

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These are prime wildlife conservation areas in the country, considered to be important on a European as well as Irish level. Most Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are in the countryside, although a few sites reach into town or city landscapes, such as Dublin Bay and Cork Harbour. Detailed conservation objectives are available for some SACs and as additional ones are approved they will be posted on the NPWS website (www.npws.ie).

The legal basis on which SACs are selected and designated is the EU Habitats Directive, transposed into Irish law in the as amended in 1998 and 2005. The Directive lists certain habitats and species that must be protected within SACs This is a national dataset and is split into two separate file download: SACs within the bounds of the ITM coordinate reference system and off-shore SACs which are provided in WGS 84.

https://data.gov.ie/dataset/special-area-of-conservation?package_type=dataset

Special Protection Area

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The EU Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) requires designation of SPAs for: listed rare and vulnerable species; regularly occurring migratory species, such as ducks, geese and waders; wetlands, especially those of international importance, which attract large numbers of migratory birds each year. (Internationally important means that 1% of the population of a species uses the site, or more than 20,000 birds regularly use the site.) This is a national dataset.

https://data.gov.ie/dataset/special-protection-area?package_type=dataset

https://www.npws.ie/maps-and-data/designated-site-data/download-boundary-data

LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature

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Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE IP, a 9-year EU-funded LIFE Integrated Project, works with farmers, local communities and land owners to add value to the wide range of services provided from our Special Area of Conservation (SAC) network of blanket bogs and associated areas.

These peatlands provide clean drinking water, store carbon, support biodiversity, produce high quality food and support resilient rural economies and livelihoods through farming, tourism, recreation and other activities. As part of the project, a pilot voluntary Results Based Payment Scheme (RBPS) will be linked to the quality of the habitat, thereby putting landowners and their skills, expertise and knowledge of their land central to the development of this project.

The project, coordinated by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, will focus on 24 blanket bog project sites in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Galway.

As well as working closely with farmers and local communities, the project brings together the experience and knowledge of associated partners including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, RTÉ, Coillte, Fáilte Ireland, The Heritage Council, Bord na Móna, Teagasc, Northern & Western Regional Assembly, and Universidade de Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

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