Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Flood Vulnerability Assessment of Natura 2000 Sites Volume I: Method Statement July 2011 The Office of Public Works Preliminary257060 N FloodR Risk 01 G PFRA - Environmental Receptor Vulnerability Report, Volume I - Rev G Assessment 12 July 2011 Flood Vulnerability Assessment of Natura 2000 Sites Volume I : Method Statement July 2011 The Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works, Trim, County Meath Mott MacDonald, 5 Eastgate Avenue, Eastgate, Little Island, Cork, Co Cork, Ireland T +353 (0)21 4809 800 F +353 (0)21 4809 801, W www.mottmac.com Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Flood Vulnerability Assessment of Natura 2000 Sites – Volume I Issue and revision record Revision Date Originator Checker Approver Description Elaine Bennett / A June 2010 Barry O’Connor Barry O’Connor Draft Method Statement Rita Mc Evoy Elaine Bennett / B July 2010 Barry O’Connor Barry O’Connor First Issue Rita Mc Evoy Tony Donovan / C July 2010 Barry O’Connor Barry O’Connor Minor Revisions Elaine Bennett Elaine Bennett / D Aug 2010 Rita Mc Evoy Barry O’Connor Revisions Anthony Badcock Anthony Badcock E Aug 2010 Elaine Bennett Barry O’Connor Revisions / Rita Mc Evoy F Jan 2011 Rita Mc Evoy Elaine Bennett Barry O’Connor Revisions Rita Mc Evoy / Final Issue following feedback from G July 2011 Olivia Crowe Anthony Badcock Barry O’Connor Bird Watch Ireland (BWI) This document is issued for the party which commissioned it We accept no responsibility for the consequences of this and for specific purposes connected with the above-captioned document being relied upon by any other party, or being used project only. It should not be relied upon by any other party or for any other purpose, or containing any error or omission which used for any other purpose. is due to an error or omission in data supplied to us by other parties This document contains confidential information and proprietary intellectual property. It should not be shown to other parties without consent from The Office of Public Works. Mott MacDonald, 5 Eastgate Avenue, Eastgate, Little Island, Cork, Co Cork, Ireland T +353 (0)21 4809 800 F +353 (0)21 4809 801, W www.mottmac.com Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Flood Vulnerability Assessment of Natura 2000 Sites – Volume I Content Chapter Title Page 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Brief Overview of the Project___________________________________________________________ 1 1.2 Special Areas of Conservation _________________________________________________________ 2 1.3 Special Protection Areas______________________________________________________________ 2 2. Method Statement 3 2.1 Introduction ________________________________________________________________________ 3 2.2 Overview of Approach – Vulnerability of Individual Species and Habitats ________________________ 3 2.3 Overview of Approach – Vulnerability of Overall SACs and SPAs ______________________________ 4 2.4 Vulnerability Assessment - Special Areas of Conservation____________________________________ 4 2.5 Vulnerability Assessment - Special Protection Areas ________________________________________ 6 3. Overview of SAC and SPA Vulnerability to Flooding 8 3.1 Vulnerability Classifications for Habitats, Species and Natura 20000 Sites _______________________ 8 Appendices 9 Appendix A. Vulnerability Assessments by Species / Habitat ___________________________________________ 10 A.1. Vulnerability Assessments by Species - SACs ____________________________________________ 11 A.2. Vulnerability Assessments by Species - SPAs ____________________________________________ 18 Appendix B. Vulnerability Assessments by Site _____________________________________________________ 27 B.1. Vulnerability Assessments by Site - SACs _______________________________________________ 28 B.2. Vulnerability Assessments by Site - SPAs _______________________________________________ 39 Tables Table 2.1: SAC Habitat Vulnerability Classifications _________________________________________________ 5 Table 2.2: SAC Species Vulnerability Classifications ________________________________________________ 6 Table 2.3: SPA Species Vulnerability Classifications_________________________________________________ 7 257060-N-R-01-F 15 July 2011 PFRA - Environmental Receptor Vulnerability Report, Volume I - Rev G Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Flood Vulnerability Assessment of Natura 2000 Sites – Volume I Acknowledgements We are extremely grateful to Bird Watch Ireland for their assistance in assigning vulnerability classifications to the Special Protection Areas in the Republic of Ireland, as detailed in Section 2.5 and Appendix A.2 of this report. We also wish to thank Mr. Jim Ryan of the National Parks and Wildlife Services for his time in providing expert opinion on the vulnerability classification assigned to habitats and species (excluding birds) in the Republic of Ireland. 257060-N-R-01-F 15 July 2011 PFRA - Environmental Receptor Vulnerability Report, Volume I - Rev G Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Flood Vulnerability Assessment of Natura 2000 Sites – Volume I 1. Introduction 1.1 Brief Overview of the Project Articles 4 and 5 of the European Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) require Member States to undertake a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA). This initial flood assessment for each Member State is designed to identify those areas where there is potentially significant flood risk. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is carrying out the PFRA in Ireland, as lead agency for flood risk management. Mott MacDonald is assisting the OPW in carrying out some aspects of this assessment. In order to carry out a preliminary analysis on the potential risk to the natural environment from flooding it has been necessary to carry out an initial assessment on the vulnerability of European conservation designated sites to flooding. The methods used in this assessment are based on ‘available or readily derivable’ information, which is in keeping with the principles relating to the PFRA set out in the Floods Directive. This initial, high level ecological assessment has been designed to determine the potential for damage of, or adverse consequences on, European designated sites (Natura 2000 sites) that could arise from flooding. The Natura 2000 network of sites comprises Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs). The Natura 2000 network is the centrepiece of EU nature and biodiversity policy. It is an EU- wide network of nature protection areas established under the Habitats Directive. The aim of the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. At the outset of the project, the scope of works included conducting vulnerability assessments of Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) and proposed Natural Heritage Areas (pNHAs), in addition to the Natura 2000 sites. NHAs are the basic Irish national designation for the protection of habitats, flora and fauna. NHAs are given legal protection under the Irish Wildlife Acts (1976-2000) from the date that they are proposed for designation. There are over 140 designated NHAs in Ireland. In addition, there are over 800 pNHAs which were published on a non-statutory basis in 1995. Despite the fact that the pHNA sites have not been statutorily proposed or designated, their significance in terms of their flora, fauna and habitats has been identified. Although spatial data on the locations and extents of the NHAs and pNHAs is available, it is not supported by available or readily-derivable data on the designated species and ecology for these areas. Given the absence of this type of data and the number of sites involved, it has not been possible to extend the vulnerability analysis for these areas. The objective of this document is to define the ‘vulnerability’ of the important ecological assets of Ireland to flooding. This report does not cover the subsequent stage of defining ‘flood risk’ where the vulnerability of the designated area is spatially evaluated against ‘flood hazard’ areas (areas of predicted inundation from flood events of a specific magnitude). The results of the flood risk assessment for the ecological areas are detailed in the accompanying report for the full PFRA process 1. _________________________ 1 Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, The Predictive Assessment of Potentially Significant Risk (Mott MacDonald, 2011) 257060-N-R-01-F 15 July 2011 PFRA - Environmental Receptor Vulnerability Report, Volume I - Rev G 1 Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Flood Vulnerability Assessment of Natura 2000 Sites – Volume I 1.2 Special Areas of Conservation Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, commonly known as the Habitats Directive, requires the designation of SACs for the protection and restoration of habitats and species considered to be of European importance. The Habitats Directive was transposed into Irish law through the European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations, 1997-2010. Habitats of European Community interest whose conservation requires the designation of a SAC are listed in ‘Annex I’ of the Directive. These are habitats which: are in danger of disappearance in their natural range; or have a small natural range following their regression or by reason of their intrinsically restricted area; or present outstanding examples of typical characteristics of one or more of the nine following biogeographical regions: Alpine, Atlantic, Black Sea, Boreal, Continental, Macaronesian, Mediterranean, Pannonian and Steppic.