Strangford Lough is home to Brent Geese from Canada

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) wants the number of wildlife and geology sites doubled to 400 by the end of the decade.

It said only 6% of land in Northern Ireland was protected for wildlife - the smallest area in the UK.

The charity is launching a campaign to raise awareness of site protection.

Dr James Robinson of the RSPB said: "This is an extremely serious issue when you think about the importance of our natural heritage in maintaining our quality of life and attracting tourists to Northern Ireland.

"It is unacceptable that so little progress has been made on the declaration and protection of ASSIs (Areas of Special Scientific Interest) over the last 20 years."

Dr Robinson expressed concern that an RSPB report, published almost 15 years ago, made exactly the same demands it was making today.

"In the report, the RSPB said that the Environment and Heritage Service needed to declare, monitor and protect all our nationally important sites," he said.

Lapwing numbers have fallen in Northern Ireland

"The rate of declaration has been extremely slow, with only 17 sites declared over the last two years.

"At this rate, it will take at least 20 years to declare those sites that EHS has estimated require protection.

"We estimate that, in order for them to complete the declaration process by 2010, over 30 sites need to be declared per year between now and then.

"We really want to see EHS succeed in meeting this target."

The RSPB said the significance of the protected sites could not be underestimated.

The Copeland Islands, off the County Down coast, support about 2% of the world breeding population of Manx Shearwaters.

In the autumn, Strangford Lough in County Down, is home to almost the entire population of Brent Geese which migrate from breeding grounds in Arctic Canada.

Mammals like the otter thrive in the ASSI network.

The extremely rare Irish lady's tresses orchid and yellow bird's nest are also among a wealth of plants protected.