In total, 86 new parcels of land have been added to the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) list by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

In terms of new sites, Galway has the largest number of SACs, with 15 new areas added. Clare is next up, with 11 new sites added, while Wicklow has nine and Kerry has seven new designated SACs.

Mayo is another county with a high percentage of designated lands and has six new sites added, while Kilkenny and Tipperary have five sites added, followed by Roscommon with four.

Cork, Donegal, Laois, Limerick, Offaly have all had three each added, Westmeath has two, with Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo and Westmeath getting one new site each.

The Department said affected landowners whose land will now become SACs will receive notification when the final stage in the designation process has been completed.

Included in the notice is a map of the designated site and all other relevant information. The full list of SACS can be found on the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s website www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac.

Examples of Irish SACs include bogs, turloughs, lakes, rivers, woodlands and sea inlets.