From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Following an open call for proposals last December 2023, Ministers of State Pippa Hackett and Malcolm Noonan are delighted to announce that a consortium led by Irish Rural Link has been selected as the Operational Group to deliver the upcoming European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project on Breeding Waders.
The key objectives of this EIP, which has been allocated €25 million to cover administration and payments to participating farmers, are to secure existing wader populations at key sites, and to support population recovery via wider landscape management and policy development.
The successful application was submitted by Irish Rural Link in partnership with Michael Martyn Agri-Environment, Irish Wildlife Services, Hen Harrier Project, Atlantic Technological University, University College Dublin, Zoological Society of Ireland and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett, said:
“I am delighted to announce, together with my colleague Minister Malcolm Noonan, that the Irish Rural Link consortium has been selected to implement the EIP Breeding Wader project. The central concept of this EIP initiative is to work with farmers and other stakeholders to put innovative solutions into practice. It’s wonderful to see such a broad range of stakeholders coming together to work on this incredibly important project, and I wish them every success with their work.
She continued:
“As part of this collaboration with the NPWS, and as part of the overall budget of €25 million, I am delighted to allocate €7.5 million directly to farmers for actions on the ground. This co-funding approach is testament to the importance of collaboration across government departments in tackling biodiversity loss.”
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, said:
“I would like to congratulate the Irish Rural Link consortium on their successful application and welcome the wealth of expertise that the group brings to the project. Our breeding waders such as Curlew, Lapwing and Snipe are of serious conservation concern, and require a significant response, which this project can deliver. With an investment of €17.5 million from the NPWS, this initiative is one of the largest EIP Projects to date, enabling us to expand on successful approaches so that we can give these amazing birds the future they deserve. NPWS will support the operational group every step of the way and will also fund additional measures to complement and enhance their conservation work.”
Commenting on today’s announcement, Minister McConalogue added:
“The Breeding Waders EIP is a landmark project which will build on the success of previous conservation programmes. As we know, Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew and Snipe are now reduced to very small, and, in some cases, critical numbers in the Irish countryside. Through engaging with farmers to support the implementation of practical conservation actions, I believe that this project will play a significant role in starting to reverse those trends.”
Minister Hackett concluded:
“I look forward to following the progress of the Breeding Waders EIP project, and I wish the team every success with its collective and collaborative work with farmers to restore habitats for these special birds.”
ENDS