Environmental Indicators Ireland 2022

10.1 Ireland: Natura 2000 sites 2011-2020

Natura 2000 sites consist of both Special Protected Areas (SPA’s) under the EU Birds Directive and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s) under the EU Habitats Directive. The area designated as Natura 2000 sites was stable over the 2011-2020 period and was 923,000 hectares in 2020.

10.2 EU: Special protected areas 2020 under EU Birds Directive

Ireland, at 6% in 2020, had the fourth lowest proportion of total land area among the 27 EU Member States designated as terrestrial Special Protected Areas (SPA’s) under the EU Birds Directive. Croatia at 30% had the highest proportion of total land classified as SPA’s in 2020 and Malta, at 5%, the lowest.

10.3 EU: Special areas of conservation 2020 under EU Habitats Directive

In 2020, Ireland had 10% of its total land area designated as terrestrial Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s) under the EU Habitats Directive. This was the seventh lowest rate in the EU27. Slovenia had 33% of its total land area designated as SAC’s, the highest in the EU. Denmark, at 7%, had the lowest.

10.4 Ireland: Common and farmland birds 1998-2021

Bird numbers in Ireland generally improved over the 1998-2021 period after significant declines in earlier decades. The Irish index of common birds increased from 89 in 1998 to 137 in 2018, before falling to 133 in 2021. The index of common farmland birds increased from 82 in 1998 to 112 in 2019, before falling to 110 in 2021.