‘Urgent action’ needed to protect nature spots

“Urgent action” must be taken by Stormont’s environment department to protect Northern Ireland’s most precious places for nature, according to a review.

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found that the framework of laws to support the identification and and management of protected sites is strong, but implementation falls short.

And not enough priority sites are getting legal protection, with Northern Ireland lagging behind the rest of the UK, Ireland and Europe in its coverage.

The OEP has made 14 recommendations to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).

They include setting targets supported by a plan, working with landowners and ensuring that restoring protected sites is a key consideration in the new Farming with Nature agri-environment scheme, which is currently being developed by the department.

The chief executive of the OEP, Natalie Prosser, called for work to turn things around.

“Instead of seeing the improvement of these precious sites we see deterioration.

“And the designation of areas as protected sites has effectively stalled with no new sites being designated since 2018, leaving important places for nature unprotected.

“Our report identifies that the failings are largely not in the legal framework for protecting these natural treasures, instead it is the implementation of these important laws that is falling short.”

In a statement, Andrew Muir said the findings would be considered.

“While I am pleased that the report has found that the legal framework is largely fit for purpose, it is clear that our stewardship of the natural environment has not been as robust as it ought to be, and the OEP’s constructive proposals to turn things around are welcome.

“Lough Neagh – our largest protected site, has been the wake-up call for what is needed across many, if not all, of our protected sites. I will now work at pace with officials to review the evidence and consider the recommendations.”

He added that he intends to consult on the Nutrients Action Programme and Nature Recovery Strategy in the coming weeks.

Protected sites support rare or threatened plants, animals and habitats and are legally designated to help ensure better management.

But the number in favourable condition has dropped from 61.7% in 2008 to 51.5% in 2024.

The report found that while there had been spells of progress in protecting designated areas, the action had not been sped up, scaled up or sustained for any period of time.

“The government has multiple jobs to do, and unfortunately is good at doing one job at a time,” said the OEP’s chief scientist Professor Robbie McDonald.

“So when they’ve been designating sites, that’s worked very effectively, but they haven’t been able to manage and plan for management of sites very effectively.

“And vice versa, when they’ve been managing sites effectively, designation has stopped.

“So government needs to do multiple things at once – it needs to restart the process of designating sites and it needs to pay attention to the condition of the sites that have already been designated.”

The Environmental Improvement Plan set targets to “achieve favourable conservation status for Northern Ireland’s priority habitats and species”.

It includes plans to publish conservation management plans by the end of 2024, and a review of what’s needed to complete the protected site network by March 2025.

It also commits to restoring 95% of the sites to favourable condition by 2030.

Daera said a proposal to develop a conservation management plan for Lough Neagh has just been signed off, with phased roll out of the Farming with Nature support package about to commence.

The UK is a signatory to the 30 by 30 International Global Biodiversity Framework target, committing to protecting at least 30% of land and sea by 2030.

The OEP is separately investigating DAERA in relation to a potential failure to comply with its duties to classify, manage or adapt Special Protection Areas, and to protect and maintain wild bird populations.