Coastal nature protection, management and restoration is the theme of a Coastwatch seminar later this month.

The seminar on January 24th in Trinity College, Dublin will focus on seagrass habitat and the Nature Restoration Law.

It will also discuss progress of the Government’s marine protected area (MPA) legislation.

“We have entered a key year for biodiversity,”Coastwatch co-ordinator Karin Dubsky says.

“ In 2023, reports by the Citizen Assembly on biodiversity loss and then the Joint Committee on the Environment and Climate Action were published,” she recalled.

“The EU Nature Restoration Law should pass in February/March and the Irish MPA law follow soon afterwards,” she said.

“The Nature Restoration Law and ongoing measures to designate, manage and restore Natura 2000 sites, offer new opportunities for public participation and citizen science,” she said.

“This Coastwatch seminar will provide an opportunity to review these initiatives against the needs in the coastal zone, where nature is struggling,” she said.

Two sessions will focus on seagrass, as one critically important inshore habitat, and the keynote address will be given by Dr Marcial Bardolet, head of the Posidonia Seagrass Surveillance Service, (IBANAT) Balearic Islands, Spain.

Registration is essential here

Coastwatch is appealing for citizen scientists to join its annual shore survey, which runs until mid-October.

Already, three volunteer surveyors have identified seagrass beds and meadows in counties Wexford, Dublin and Galway.

Some shorelines which had suffered plastic pollution after bad weather are also reportedly relatively cleaner or free of plastic, according to Coastwatch co-ordinator Karin Dubsky.

However, huge numbers of dying cockles have also been reported on Duncannon shore, Co Wexford, while carpets of green algae and sludge layers have been reported in parts of Dublin Bay and west Cork.

The survey involves volunteers from all walks of life who select 500 metres of shore as a survey unit.

The “eco-audit” of the selected area takes about an hour, during low tide, with friends or family.

“College and school groups, scouts and kayakers are also welcome to join,” Dubsky said.

“Weather permitting the survey effort will peak next weekend at the lowest tides,” she said.

All the required materials, except for water test kits, are on the Coastwatch website where survey sites can also be booked. Coastwatch regional co-ordinators can also help newcomers and groups, she says.

Details on participation involve the following steps, she says:

• 1. Chose a 500m survey unit and book it online www.coastwatch.org
• 2. Read the survey form and guide notes and download ID posters for marine life.
• 3. Join an online training or field work group session if you are new or would like to refresh. Next online session is Mon 25th Sept at 1800 hours.
• 4. Check your shore around low tide and record your findings in photos/on survey form.
• 5. Report back on new phone app, or computer input forms or by posting your results to us.

“We then collate and analyse data to share and discuss it in Trinity College Dublin on December 23rd,” she says.

“Coastwatchers are also invited to an international workshop to plan follow up action,” she says.

She says that Coastwatch is grateful to the Department of Housing marine unit for extra support this year.

A cross-border survey for Lough Foyle is planned for Sunday, Oct 1st.

More details are here

The new Maritime Area Planning Bill is not solely designed “to help the offshore renewable sector get what it needs”, Coastwatch co-ordinator Karin Dubsky has warned.

The legislation, which marks a first for the State in marine planning, is “for all of us, and we have to watch that there isn’t a shortcut”, Dubsky said.

Her environmental group has called on the Government to specify protection of seagrass beds in the new legislation which comes before the Oireachtas this term.

Seagrass or Zostera marina is the inshore equivalent of coral reefs or tropical rainforests in nurturing habitats for diverse species and helping to filter sediments and keep shorelines stable.

“Seagrass can be found in sandy, muddy areas, such as near the high tide mark in Sligo. Short seagrass lawns have been well studied by the Environmental Protection Authority,”Dubsky said.

“The seagrass meadows rich in molluscs, fish and lobster are more difficult to find and the roots of this grass like to find shelter and clean water,”she said.

“Seagrass is incredibly important for climate change adaptation, and the meadows are totally understudied in Ireland,”she said

“Present legislation is chaotic, so it needs to be listed and mapped for protection,”she said.

“If the new Bill can state that seagrass is protected wherever it occurs, that would be very positive, “she said

Several Irish seagrass habitats are threatened by an invasive species known as “wire weed” or Sargassum muticum, she explained.

“These are some of our most valuable blue carbon habitats”, Dubsky said.

She hosted a special event at St Patrick’s Bridge near Kilmore Quay in Co Wexford last week to highlight the issue.

The new Maritime Area Planning Bill is geared to ensure regulated development of offshore wind farms, but gives local authorities a role in managing inshore coastal areas, she pointed out.

By specifying certain habitats requiring protection, this would empower local authorities to protect seagrass and to remove invasive species like Sargassum muticum, Dubsky said.

Seagrass beds in Co Wexford, in Bantry Bay, Co Cork and at Fenit in Tralee bay, Co Kerry are at risk from the invasive species, which is at its most dense in May and June, she said.

She said the protection needs to be acted upon now, as planned separate legislation on marine protected areas could take some years.

“There is huge potential to get things right, but also a huge potential to miss the boat as there is so much marine and coastal development now,”she said.

Karin Dubsky spoke to Wavelengths below

Ballyvergan marsh is under threat after the discovery of an illegal pipe being used to drain the wetlands area, claims Coastwatch.

The Irish Times reports that the environmental group has called for immediate action over the draining of the marsh near Youghal in Co Cork. 

Cork County Council has also confirmed to the paper that a letter regarding an "allegation of unathorised development" has been sent to the landowner.

The marsh at Ballyvergan is one of the largest on the south coast, and is zoned as a special amenity. It is also an important breeding site for migratory birds.

Karin Dubsky of Coastwatch said that the situation highlights the deficiencies in State policy regarding Ireland's wetlands.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.