The European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 were signed into law by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on the 27th of September 2011. These regulations serve to strengthen and consolidate existing EU law, most notably the EU Birds Directive and EU Habitats Directive and complement relevant provisions of the 2010 Planning and Development Act.
The obligations of various public bodies in relation to designated SACs and SPAs have been clarified and strengthened by the new legislation. They also allow the Minister to identify 'activities requiring consent'. These are activities likely to harm an SAC or SPA or its habitats or species. The regulation will also take into account third parties (rather than just landowners). This may impact upon recreational uses of an area within or near an SAC or SPA where the activity has the potential to threaten protected sites, species or wildlife. The Regulations also contain important provisions for invasive species and includes a black list of unwanted species with various offences attached.
Additional details and a copy of the Regulations can be found here: http://www.npws.ie/legislationandconventions/irishlaw/euregulations/