Goal: Achieve the legal designation of approximately 40,000 km² of new ocean conservation areas, in alignment with the International Union for Conservation of Nature standards for marine protected areas (MPAs)

The Alliance’s partner in Ireland is Fair Seas, an organization that aims to protect, conserve, and restore Ireland’s unique marine environment. With support from the Blue Nature Alliance and other donors, Fair Seas is a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental nonprofit organizations and environmental networks, including the Irish Wildlife Trust, BirdWatch Ireland, Sustainable Water Network, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Streamscapes, Irish Environmental Network, and Coastwatch.  

Ireland’s exclusive economic zone covers nearly a half million square kilometers, making it among the largest in Europe. The area supports a rich diversity of coastal and marine habitats, including unique cold-water coral ecosystems, and these waters are home to numerous species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, including blue whales, beaked whales, and bottlenose dolphins. They also serve as key foraging grounds for leatherback turtles and dozens of seabird species such as puffins, guillemots, petrels, gannets, and shearwaters.

Despite Ireland’s longstanding maritime heritage and cultural ties to the ocean, the country had established protections for just 2.3% of its waters as of 2019 – one of the smallest proportions in the European Union.

However, the tide appears to be rising on ocean conservation in Ireland. In 2021, Ireland joined the High Ambition Coalition for People and Nature, committing to protect at least 30% of its ocean by 2030. The Irish government also announced plans to develop comprehensive legislation for the identification, designation, and management of MPAs as part of the effort to expand and improve its network of protected waters.

To ensure the government’s commitments translate into meaningful improvements for Ireland’s ocean, the Blue Nature Alliance will support Fair Seas in its efforts to build a movement of ocean stewardship. Building political will and public support for the designation of well-managed and well-resourced MPAs by 2025 will help to develop a pathway to realize their 30% by 2030 target.

In 2022, Fair Seas published a report that found Ireland’s MPAs must increase 18-fold by the end of the decade to restore critical habitats, safeguard wildlife, and address the climate crisis. A subsequent report produced in 2023 revealed that Ireland can save its ocean biodiversity by spending approximately €55 million between 2024 and 2030 to reach its targets of protecting 30% of our seas and ocean. 

“Our ambition is to see Ireland become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive.” 

– Donal Griffin, Fair Seas Campaign Coordinator