Under the OSPAR Convention to Protect the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic, Ireland committed to establishing marine protected areas to protect biodiversity (i.e., OSPAR MPAs). No legislation is currently used in Ireland to legally underpin protected areas established to fulfil commitments under international conventions. Therefore, since the creation of OSPAR MPAs would not afford any legal protection to the relevant areas on their own, Ireland (like other OSPAR contracting Parties) established a number of its SACs as OSPAR MPAs for marine habitats.
Download a list of OSPAR MPAs 
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