Two thirds of protected nature conservation sites in Northern Ireland are in 'a favourable condition', according to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

A report on sites designated as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) has been published on the NIEA website.

NIEA Director of Natural Heritage Graham Seymour said: "ASSIs are the best sites for wildlife and earth science in NI. We have a duty to declare them, and we need to make sure that the special features they contain - things like an important rock exposure, a rich woodland habitat, or a rare species of plant - are in good condition. Monitoring is vital to this.

"This report is the culmination of six years work by scientific staff in NIEA. It details how these sites are faring, and the results will guide much of our management on ASSIs over the next few years."

The study was part of a UK monitoring programme and deployed methods developed by specialists from across Britain and Northern Ireland.

Mr Seymour said: "We have managed to monitor all of the ASSIs in NI, with over 900 features being assessed - a significant achievement given the scale and complexity of the work involved."

But while the report shows around two thirds of the features in ASSIs are in favourable condition, more work will have to be done to bring other nature conservation sites up to those standards.

He said: "The findings of this study are probably better than we could have anticipated when the programme of work commenced. However, a significant proportion of ASSIs are in an unfavourable condition and more remains to be done to improve these sites.

"Our long-term goal is to have all of the ASSIs in favourable condition, and NIEA is working hard with DARD and others to achieve this. The findings of the report will help to direct conservation effort where it is most needed."

(PR/JM)