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Non Commercial Use Download data from Protected Planet.

Ireland chooses to restrict some data on its protected areas. As a result, data on 154 protected areas is not publicly-available and cannot be viewed or downloaded on this page. While these sites are included in the coverage statistics presented here, all other statistics (e.g. number of protected areas; breakdown by governance type etc.) on this page are based upon the publicly-available data only.

Ireland

831
Total Protected Areas
15 With management effectiveness evaluations
Terrestrial and Inland Waters Protected Areas
Marine Protected Areas
Other effective area-based conservation measures
0
Total Other effective area-based conservation measures
Polygons/Points ratio
Polygons 99%
Points 1%
Discover Protected Areas and OECMs
Terrestrial and Inland Waters Protected Areas
Marine Protected Areas
Other effective area-based conservation measures
ON
Map Disclaimer
The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

• Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties.
• Final boundary between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan has not yet been determined.
• Final status of the Abyei area is not yet determined.
• A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

Terrestrial and inland waters protected area coverage

14.39% Coverage

10,102km2 Land area covered

70,197km2 Total land area

14.00% 5th National Report coverage

PAME

0.12% With management effectiveness evaluations

81km2 Areas assessed

Marine protected area Coverage

2.35% Coverage

10,070km2 Marine and coastal area covered

428,007km2 Total marine and coastal area

1.40% 5th National Report coverage

PAME

0.01% With management effectiveness evaluations

33km2 Areas assessed

Disclaimer: These statistics might differ from those reported officially by countries due to difference in methodologies and datasets used to assess protected area coverage and differences in the base maps used to measure terrestrial and marine area of a country or territory.

IUCN Management Categories

SeriesChart100%Chart created using amCharts library

Governance types

SeriesChart100%Chart created using amCharts library

Sources 6

  1. European inventory of Nationally Designated Areas (NatDA) as provided by the European Environment Agency (EEA) Updated: 2024 European Environment Agency (EEA)
  2. Protected Areas of Ireland Updated: 2003 Dúchas - The Heritage Service, Ireland
  3. Dublin Bay UNESCO-MAB Updated: 2019 Dublin City Council
  4. Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance Updated: 2023 Ramsar Secretariat, on behalf of Ramsar Contracting Parties
  5. Natura 2000 Updated: 2024 Directorate-General for Environment (EU) via EEA
  6. OSPAR Marine Protected Areas Network Updated: 2021 OSPAR Commission, Victoria House, 37-63 Southampton Row, London, WC1B 4DA, UK

Designations

  • 19.37%
  • 74.97%
  • 5.66%

National designations

161
  • National Park 6
  • Natural Heritage Area 155

Regional designations

623
  • Marine Protected Area (OSPAR) 19
  • Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive) 64
  • Special Areas of Conservation (Habitats Directive) 375
  • Special Protection Area (Birds Directive) 165

International designations

47
  • Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance 45
  • UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve 2

Other designations

0

    citation

    UNEP-WCMC (2025). Protected Area Profile for Ireland from the World Database on Protected Areas, March 2025. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net

    Downloads
    Citation

    UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2025), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) [Online], March 2025, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net.