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by Grace Carr, IWT Marine Advocacy Officer
First published online: 29 October 2026
On Monday the 26th of November the European Court of Auditors (ECA) released a report that conducted an in depth analysis on how Marine Protected Areas are managed in the EU. The report looked closely at Ireland, Sweden and France and included analysis of progress in implementing EU legislation (Natura sites) and national MPAs and whether these areas are being effectively managed and protected (1). The Irish Wildlife Trust, Fair Seas and Birdwatch Ireland all gave evidence into this report in Summer 2025.
The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 stipulates that all protected areas should be subject to effective management, define clear conservation objectives and measures, and monitor them appropriately. Unfortunately, we are not on track to meet the EU biodiversity targets for 2030.
The report found that most protected areas do not apply adaptive management practices which ‘prioritises continuous learning by integrating feedback from past performance into future strategic planning’. Member States are not taking into account the main pressures facing protected areas and adapting their management to learn from past mistakes. This makes sense in an Irish context since the number of protected habitats (on land and sea) in Ireland not in good condition increased from 85% in 2019 to 90% in 2025 (2). We are going backwards when it comes to protecting nature. The report highlighted that ‘the conservation outcomes of a marine protected area are significantly higher in well-managed, strictly protected environments than in lightly protected areas with weak or no management, where they are generally considered negligible.’
They selected 15 MPAs in each Member State to analyse. In Ireland, managing authorities could not provide information for 10 out of the 15 Irish sites. We believe that this highlights the lack of knowledge, management and ambition that is in place for Irish marine Natura sites. One part of the analysis involved a questionnaire given to managing authorities. The questionnaire covers key aspects of protected area management, including planning, implementation, monitoring, enforcement and stakeholder engagement. Questions included were, ‘are appropriate regulations/controls in place to manage land/sea use and activities (such as fishing, mining, tourism)? Is there a management plan or equivalent and is it being implemented? Are management activities regularly monitored, evaluated and adapted?’ This type of information should be readily available if the legal requirements of the Birds and Habitats Directives were being met. The report confirmed that there was not a single management plan for all 15 Irish sites they analysed.
The report highlighted the public consultation in Ireland on the 6nm trawling ban as an example of stakeholder engagement. While we were happy for the opportunity to submit to this consultation to give our views, the Government needs to do more to ensure truly effective early and ongoing stakeholder engagement. In regards to managing protected areas around Ireland, currently there is no system in place for the in depth engagement that is needed and no plan for how to ensure the engagement continues into the future to contribute to adaptive management and to ensure the best results for nature and people.
References:
1 Marine Protected Areas: Designation alone is insufficient for meaningful protection
https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublications/SR-2026-25/SR-2026-25_EN.pdf
2 The Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland 2025
https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/article-17-report-2025-volume-1.pdf
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