Multiple conservation designations: what impact on the effectiveness of marine protected areas in the Irish Sea?

Figures & data

Figure 1. Boundaries of the Irish Sea as applied in this study.

Figure 2. Number of Irish Sea MPAs, by country.

Table 1. Different types of protected area designations in the Irish Sea.

Scope	Designation & Origin	Ownership and purpose
National	Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) – Marine Coastal Access Act, 2009	MCZs were created to protect a wide range of important marine species, habitats, geology, and geomorphology in the UK (JNCC 2010).
	Marine Nature Reserve (MNR) – Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981	This is awarded by the British or Irish government to a marine area of national significance (JNCC 2010).
	Natural Heritage Area (NHA) – Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000	In Ireland, this designation is used by the National Parks and Wildlife Service for the conservation and protection of wildlife habitats and geosites (NPWS 2018).
	Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949	Also known as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI), this is a protected area for conservation in the UK (JNCC 2010).
European	Natura 2000 – Habitats Directive, 1992	Natura 2000 sites cover over 18% of the EU’s land area and almost 6% of its marine territory and are a network of breeding and resting sites for threatened species and habitats. A site must be a designated SAC or SPA to become part of the Natura 2000 network (EC 2019).
	OSPAR – OSPAR Convention, 1972	The OSPAR Convention has been working to identify threats to the marine environment since 1972 and has been promoting the establishment of a network of MPAs in the Northeast Atlantic (Europe) since 1998 to protect, conserve, and restore ecosystems and prevent their degradation (OSPAR Commission 2016).
	Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – Habitats Directive, 1992	Site designated according to the Habitats Directive and contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration of a natural habitat, to the coherence of Natura 2000, and/or to the maintenance of regional biodiversity. (CEC 1992).
	Special Protection Area (SPA) – Birds Directive, 1979	According to the EC (2009), this is an area classified under the Birds Directive for the conservation of wild birds.
International	UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve – UNESCO, 1971	These are chosen by national governments and are under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states in which they are located. Their status is internationally recognised (UNESCO 2017).
	Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) – Ramsar Convention, 1971	Ramsar sites are designated because they meet the criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance (Ramsar 2014).

Table 2. Number of sites with available conservation objectives, management plans, and environmental assessments, grouped by the number of designations a site has.

No. designations	Total no. sites	No. sites with available conservation objectives	No. sites with available management plan	No. sites where environmental assessments were conducted
One	67	63	26	18
Two to Four	41	40	31	27
≥ Five	4	4	4	4

Figure 3. Relationship between the number of MPA designations and the existence of a publicly available management plan.

Figure 4. Relationship between the number of MPA designations and favourable environmental assessment results.

Table 3. REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Number of sites with available conservation objectives, management plans, and environmental assessments, grouped by the number of designations a site has.

No. designations	Total no. sites	No. sites with available conservation objectives	No. sites with available management plan	No. sites where environmental assessments were conducted
One	22	21	2	8
Two to Four	12	11	2	7
≥ Five	0	0	0	0

Table 4. UNITED KINGDOM: Number of sites with available conservation objectives, management plans, and environmental assessments, grouped by the number of designations a site has.

No. designations	Total no. sites	No. sites with available conservation objectives	No. sites with available management plan	No. sites where environmental assessments were conducted
One	36	33	24	11
Two to Four	28	28	27	20
≥ Five	4	4	4	4

Table 5. ISLE OF MAN: Number of sites with available conservation objectives, management plans, and environmental assessments, grouped by the number of designations a site has.

No. designations	Total no. sites	No. sites with available conservation objectives	No. sites with available management plan	No. sites where environmental assessments were conducted
One	9	9	0	0
Two to Four	1	1	1	0
≥ Five	0	0	0	0

Figure 5. Relationship between the number of MPA designations and the existence of a publicly available management plan, by country.

Figure 6. Relationship between the number of MPA designations and favourable environmental assessment results, by country.

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