SAC Quick Reference table (PDF 1249kb, last edited 23/04/2024)
Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) are prime wildlife conservation areas in the country, considered to be important on a European as well as an 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. The legal basis on which SACs are selected and designated is the EU Habitats Directive, transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477 of 2011), as amended.
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. Irish species afforded protection include Salmon, Otter, Freshwater Pearl Mussel, Bottlenose Dolphin and Killarney Fern.
The NPWS website includes site specific information for the Natura 2000 sites i.e. SAC and SPA sites https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites.
If you require up-to-date information about an SAC, please refer to the SAC Quick Reference table above, or email us at sitedesignations@npws.gov.ie.
Data included in the Standard Data Forms (SDFs) for each Natura 2000 site can be accessed on the European Commission website.
Protected sites data is available on the Designated Sites Data page. The datasheets provide details of SACs and their qualifying interests in tabular format.
View and download Protected Sites spatial data through the NPWS Protected Sites map-viewer.