A new report has underlined the already compelling ease for proper conservation and management of the unique natural heritage site which Lady's Island Lake in south Co Wexford represents.
Few conservation sites in Europe combine such cultural, ecological and recreational importance as this coastal feature which was probably formed about 5,000 years ago.
It has been a place of pilgrimage since the 12th century at least; it is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty and special landscape importance; and the wealth of flora and fauna which it nurtures and shelters is probably unrivalled.
"It is a site that is crying out for an integrated management plan," says Mr Jim Hurley, author of the comprehensive new report on the lake (more properly, lagoon).
The key feature of this site, and what makes it a lagoon, is the low natural barrier of gravel that separates it from the sea. Sea water washes over this in rough conditions, mixing with the fresh water flowing in from 12 feeder streams.
The brackish mixture and marshy conditions support an extraordinary range of aquatic plants and marine animal life, and attract important colonies of wild birds.
For centuries the natural barrier to the sea has been artificially breached by man at intervals to prevent or relieve flooding.
In the middle of this century, Wexford County Council became involved in breaching the barrier to lower the water level and facilitate the annual Marian pilgrimage to Our Lady's Island.
Since 1990 a committee representing various interests, from local farmers to conservationists and the pilgrimage organisers, has managed the breaching procedure.
Mr Hurley's extensive report, the fruit of over 12 years' observation and measurement of water levels, concludes that deteriorating water quality and the present method of breaching the barrier are damaging the habitat and its flora and fauna.
He recommends the traditional breaching be abandoned in favour of a more controllable engineering solution to managing the water level, and that EU support be sought to advance this.
He also suggests that an integrated management and development plan should be devised for the lake and adjoining lagoons, and that a nature reserve should be established there.
Lady's Island Lake supports the largest mixed tern colony in Ireland, including the rare roseate tern which is in danger of extinction in north-west Europe. It also hosts an important range of water fowl, and is a designated Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive.
Its diverse plant life includes the last remaining stand of cottonweed in Ireland and Britain. The lake is also a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Much of this rich biodiversity is under threat because of disturbance and predation, and conservation and management measures need to be strengthened and integrated.
Wexford County Council recognises the lake as an area that is particularly sensitive to development because of its special interests and amenity value.
Increasing numbers of bird-watchers, tourists and water sports enthusiasts visit the lake, and more than 10,000 people take part in the annual pilgrimage.
Mr Hurley advocates more specialised environmental research on the lagoon, and that the council should devise a water-quality management plan. It should also be covered by a Special Amenity Area Order. The European Commission would rate it as a priority habitat: that is why it was in the first round of designations of special areas of conservation," he notes. "I think it's a unique case study in coastal zone management."
The research work by Mr Hurley, a teacher of biology and environmental studies in the local Bridgetown Vocational College, is directed towards stimulating greater conservation of the lake. His report comprises a natural history and environmental over-view of the lake and discussion of the issues involved in its management.
European interest in the lake is bound to increase. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has described it as the last intact example of a lagoon in Europe. There are prospects of EU funding for a proper management strategy; earlier this year the Irish authorities lodged a formal application with Brussels.