New project to protect vulnerable birds launched on Shannon Callows
A landmark new project for Ireland’s most vulnerable group of birds, breeding waders, was launched on the Shannon Callows today.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, together with Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan , and Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity Senator Pippa Hackett, launched the €25 million Breeding Waders EIP in Shannon Harbour, Offaly.
The initiative is funded jointly by the National Parks and Wildlife Service at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, under the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Agri Programme.
The project aims to secure existing wader populations at key sites, and to support population recovery through wider landscape management and policy development. Populations of breeding waders, which include Curlew, Dunlin, Lapwing, and Golden Plover, among others, have declined by as much as 98% in recent decades in the Irish countryside.
European Innovation Partnership (EIP) projects are locally-led schemes which are designed and implemented by collaborative groups involving farmers, scientists, ecologists and other experts to deliver specific goals. Earlier this year, a consortium led by Irish Rural Link was selected as the Operational Group lead to deliver the Breeding Waders EIP.
Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett, said: “As Minister with responsibility for both EIPs and biodiversity, I am hugely excited to be here in Shannon Harbour in County Offaly this morning for the launch of the Breeding Waders EIP. We know how successful the locally led EIP model can be, with farmers coming together backed by expert advice to take targeted actions for biodiversity enhancement and to bring about meaningful landscape change. We are supporting the Breeding Waders EIP with a €25 million budget and a world class project team, and I am really looking forward to following its progress over the coming years and, all going well, seeing much healthier breeding wader numbers in the Shannon Callows and beyond.”
Speaking at the launch, Minister McConalogue said: “This important initiative under Ireland’s 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plan, and the funding of €25 million provided, is proof of the Government’s commitment to protect the wader populations that are currently present at important locations and to promote population recovery through broader landscape management and evidence-based policy development. The success of this EIP will help secure the future of breeding waders, as it will provide support to farmers that are willing to carry out habitat enhancements above and beyond regulatory standards.”
Offaly native Seamus Boland, CEO of Irish Rural Link, representing the Operational Group, added: “Irish Rural Link is delighted to be leading on this new and exciting project. This EIP-Agri project presents a unique opportunity for farmers, rural communities and stakeholders to work with the project team and partners in driving conservation efforts for Breeding Waders.”
The project involves a total investment of €25 million, of which NPWS is providing an investment of €17.5 million, with an investment of €7.5 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The NPWS has also committed to an additional strategic fund of €5 million for breeding waders.