Wicklow hosts a wealth of wildlife including a range of threatened habitats and species which are protected by law and are recognised as being of local, national and EU importance. Many habitats and species are designated for protection / preservation under national and/or EU legislation4 . County Wicklow has one National Park, 17 Special Areas of Conservation5 (SAC), 35 (proposed) Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), 4 Special Protection Areas (SPA), and 6 Nature Reserves (as set out in Schedules 17.01, 17.02, 17.03 & 17.04 and Maps 17.01, 17.02, 17.03 & 17.04 of this plan). The occurrence of protected flora and fauna species is not confined to protected sites. Protected birds, bats, otters and badgers for example are frequently found in the wider countryside, together with a wide range of common plants and animals which are all part of the interrelated natural fabric of the landscape. Rivers and streams and their associated riparian wetlands and habitats are home to a variety of habitats and species. Collectively, these various natural landscape features function as ecological “corridors” and “stepping stones” which enable wildlife to exist, move and flourish.