a88a3074-ed96-46f2-b24d-d0653b739f66 dataset Ali Robinson Compass Informatics GIS & Data Analyst 01 2000086 Compass Informatics Block 8 Blackrock Business Park Carysfort Avenue Blackrock ie arobinson@compass.ie 2010-11-18T15:04:18 Based on ISO 19115:2005/19139:2007 INSPIRE Directive 2007/2/EC Metadata Implementing Rules 1.2 INSPIRE Metadata Implementing Rules 1853 TM65_Irish_Grid Special Areas of Conservation NPWS SAC 2010-10-05 Heritage Council Coastal Heritage Beatrice Kelly Heritage Council Head of Policy and Research 056 7770777 áras na hOidhreachta Church lane Kilkenny Kilkenny ie mail@heritagecouncil.ie Beatrice Kelly Heritage Council Head of Policy and Research 056 7770777 áras na hOidhreachta Church lane Kilkenny Kilkenny ie mail@heritagecouncil.ie Robert Ovington National Parks & Wildlife Service GIS Coordinator +353 1 8883238 NPWS epartment of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government 7 Ely Place Dublin 2 ie robert_ovington@environ.ie Dataset owned and provided by NPWS. Dataset downloaded 17th September 2010. http://www.npws.ie/en/ConservationSites/SpecialAreasofConservationSACs/ 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. Conservation management plans are available for many SACs and as additional ones are approved they will be posted. The legal basis on which SACs are selected and designated is the EU Habitats Directive, transposed into Irish law in the European Union (Natural Habitats) Regulations,1997 as amended in 1998 and 2005. The Directive lists certain habitats and species that must be protected within SACs. Irish habitats include raised bogs, blanket bogs, turloughs, sand dunes, machair (flat sandy plains on the north and west coasts), heaths, lakes, rivers, woodlands, estuaries and sea inlets. The 25 Irish species which must be afforded protection include Salmon, Otter, Freshwater Pearl Mussel, Bottlenose Dolphin and Killarney Fern. A full list of the Irish habitats and species covered by the Directive is given here: http://www.npws.ie/en/ConservationSites/SpecialAreasofConservationSACs/SACHabitatsandSpecies/ The areas chosen as SAC in Ireland cover an area of approximately 13,500 square kilometres. Roughly 53% is land, the remainder being marine or large lakes. Across the EU, over 12,600 sites have been identified and proposed, covering 420,000 sq. km. of land and sea, an area the size of Germany. Beatrice Kelly Heritage Council Head of Policy and Research 056 7770777 áras na hOidhreachta Church lane Kilkenny Kilkenny ie mail@heritagecouncil.ie Beatrice Kelly Heritage Council Head of Policy and Research 056 7770777 áras na hOidhreachta Church lane Kilkenny Kilkenny ie mail@heritagecouncil.ie Environmental monitoring facilities GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-06-01 Special Areas of Conservation, Heritage Council, Coastal Heritage Special Areas of Conservation 2010-10-06 Seek Permissions Seek Permissions 50000 environment Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.3500 -10.917793 -5.793674 51.389703 55.45159 Dataset provided by NPWS. For further information contact www.npws.ie.