Delaying action to protect the seas and coastal waters around Ireland is making the country’s commitment to protect 30% of its land and waters by 2030 more expensive by the day, a coalition of leading environmental organisations have warned this week.

Fair Seas, the Irish environmental NGO focused on ocean advocacy, has said that the country’s 2026 budget will be a “key test” for the government’s commitment to Ireland’s seas, suggesting there’s a long way to go to expand its current protection measures.

As one of the 190 countries to have committed to protecting at least 30% of its land and ocean by 2030, Ireland has five years to significantly expand upon the 9% of domestic waters currently under protection by governmental legislation. Fair Seas has stated that continued delay to provide that legislation in the Oireachtas now risks the country falling short of its targets.

In 2023, Fair Seas published the first MPA Finance Report in Europe in which it estimated that Ireland could protect 30% of its seas and ocean by 2030 with an investment of approximately €55 million between 2024 and 2030. It estimated that €7 million would be required in the first 12 months to meet the interim goal of effectively protecting and managing 10% of Ireland’s ocean – a milestone that is yet to be achieved.

The longer ecosystems are left exposed to degradation, the more expensive their recovery becomes, the organisation has warned.

Dr Donal Griffin, Fair Seas Campaign Manager, said: “Every delay means potentially greater ecological damage and higher financial costs. It’s been two years since we published our financial report and because progress has been so slow, the real cost of Ireland achieving its MPA targets will be higher.”

Last year, the Irish Government – alongside EU funding – committed €25 million to the MPA Life project, an initiative with the overarching aim to provide a major contribution to protecting, conserving, and enabling the recovery of Ireland’s marine ecosystems. 

“At less than half of the financial commitment needed to achieve Ireland’s targets, there is still an enormous shortfall in investment to properly protect our seas,” said Dr Griffin.

Concerns are growing among the Irish NGO community that the government’s commitments could materialise to be “little more than words.”

“Budget 2026 is the opportunity to prove otherwise,” said Dr Simon Berrow, CEO of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. “Proper resourcing would send a clear signal that Ireland is serious about delivering on its 30% target, and about safeguarding marine biodiversity for the future.”

The Fair Seas finance report set out an extensive operating expenditure for the government to assess, including staff salaries, scientific studies, boat fuel and maintenance, as well as capital expenditure like boat and car purchases, demarcation buoys, SCUBA diving equipment, and surveillance equipment such as radars and drones. It also detailed possible next steps for the Government to assess potential sources of funding relevant to Ireland. The options here ranged from EU grants and philanthropic donations to revenue generating mechanisms and potential reallocations of funding.

“These are all clear and realistic proposals for how the Government could raise the modest amounts required for marine conservation now through to 2030 and beyond,” said Emma Armshaw, marine and coastal policy officer for the Sustainable Water Network.

“What’s missing is political will and decisive Government action to introduce MPA legislation and make it clear how they plan to fund it. The ocean is under threat, but it can recover if we act now. The longer the action is delayed, the steeper the costs will climb.”

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