<B><P>SAM FOSTER ANNOUNCES TWENTY TWO SPECIAL AREAS OF CONSERVATION</P> <TITLE>000627a-env SAM FOSTER ANNOUNCES TWENTY TWO SPECIAL AREAS OF CONSERVATION Department of Environment 27 June 2000

27 June 2000

SAM FOSTER ANNOUNCES TWENTY TWO SPECIAL AREAS OF CONSERVATION

Mr Sam Foster, Minister for the Environment, has announced proposals for an additional twenty-two Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Northern Ireland.

The sites include several raised bogs, oak woodlands such as those found at Banagher Glen in Co Londonderry and Rostrevor in Co Down, and three rivers with important populations of freshwater pearl mussel.

The European Commission's Habitats Directive requires all member states to establish SACs to form a Europe-wide network of protected sites known as Natura 2000. By June 1999 the UK had submitted a list of 340 candidate SACs to the European Commission, of which 21 are in Northern Ireland.

Following criticism from the Commission that the coverage of habitats and species was insufficient, the DOE's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) and the statutory conservation agencies in GB have carried out a fundamental review of the UK list of candidate SACs.

Mr Foster said: "These proposals are important for nature conservation and for ensuring that Northern Ireland plays its part in implementing the Habitats Directive. Public consultation on these proposals will commence immediately.

"I am confident that we have done our work thoroughly. However, it will only be after considering any comments received on their scientific merits, that I will decide whether or not these sites should be proposed to the Commission as part of a revised UK list."

Additional qualifying features have also been proposed for 14 of the existing candidate SACs including three that will also require boundary amendments.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Council Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the 'Habitats Directive') requires member states to designate qualifying sites as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

The Habitats Directive describes a two-stage process for the selection of a European network of SACs. Stage 1 involves the submission of national lists of candidate sites, and stage 2 (commonly referred to as moderation) involves the assessment of these lists within the context of the relevant biogeographical region and the EU as a whole.

By June 1999 the UK had submitted a list of 340 candidate SACs to the EC. Twenty-one of these sites is in Northern Ireland. The moderation process was initiated at a meeting of the Atlantic Biogeographical Zone in September 1999. This provided the first opportunity to compare the national lists submitted by the member states within the zone that includes the UK, Ireland and the western seaboard of several other states.

All member states came in for some criticism from the European Commission. Comments were made on the UK list that it provided insufficient coverage for a number of habitats and species listed in the Directive. Of particular relevance to Northern Ireland was the comment that the proposed sites were judged to provide inadequate coverage of the geographical range of some habitats and species.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), in collaboration with the statutory conservation agencies and Environment and Heritage Service, has substantially completed a fundamental review of the UK list. As well as adding many qualifying features to the existing candidate SACs, it is also proposed to substantially increase the total number of sites in the UK.

For further information please contact Philip Maguire DOE Press Office Tel 028 9054 0013.