With just weeks until a general election, BirdWatch Ireland has written to political parties calling on them to put people, nature and climate front and centre.
The organisation has written to parties with a list of asks for nature, urging them to include them in their election manifestos and the next Programme for Government.
The letter acknowledges positive changes made in recent years, including the convening of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, financial support for the Breeding Wader EIP and support for the Nature Restoration Law.
However, while BirdWatch has said that these steps are encouraging, it is urging politicians not to lose sight of what id described as “the ongoing twin biodiversity and climate crises” in the years ahead.
BirdWatch
BirdWatch Ireland has said that bird populations are in a “dire” state, with 63% of species either Red- or Amber-listed Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland.
Species once considered common and widespread such as Common Kestrel, Common Snipe and Stock Dove are at risk of fading from the landscape according to the organisation.
The populations of these three species have decreased so substantially that they have recently been classified as Red-listed in Ireland.
BirdWatch Ireland has said that its asks to the political parties fall under four key categories:
- Build resilience;
- Supporting farmland birds and farmers;
- Protecting seabirds and the opportunities in the seas;
- Protecting and restoring nature for people, wildlife and climate goals.
Proposals
The organisation has called for the funding of a Farmland Bird Monitoring Programme as a better reflection than the common farmland bird index of how threatened, Red-listed farmland birds are doing.
It also wants to ensure that farmers can stay on the land by properly funding measures in Ireland’s agri-environment schemes to pay farmers for the valuable ecosystem services they provide including the protection and restoration of farmland bird populations.
Another proposal is to designate marine Special Protection Areas for birds based on BirdWatch Ireland and BirdLife International Important Bird Areas mapping and to ensure robust management plans for these areas are established and resourced.
Politicians are also being urged to publish and pass strong and effective Marine Protected Area legislation as soon as possible.
BirdWatch has also called for what it said is the essential and critical roll-out of renewable energy and new ‘renewable energy acceleration areas’ underpinned by robust bird sensitivity mapping to avoid threats to wild bird populations.
Another proposal contained in the letter calls on the next government to establish and resource an effective Wildlife Crime Unit.
There is also a proposal to design, fund and implement an ambitious National Nature Restoration Plan which would set nature on the pathway to recovery, supported by an expert working group, including environmental organisations like BirdWatch Ireland.
Funding
Funding is something that the organisation feels is essential in order to ensure commitments to people, nature and climate are secured.
“The next government must increase and sustain the annual investment in biodiversity including appropriately funding the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the ecological functions of competent authorities,” the organisation has stated.
Additional financial support is also needed to support conservation organisations which struggle to find funding to address the breadth of issues faced by wild birds, according to BirdWatch.
“Our asks focus on “people, nature and climate” as these three things are undeniably intertwined,” the organisation said.
“While nature and climate may not have a voice, people do, and they can use it by voting in the upcoming general election.”
BirdWatch Ireland is calling on members of the public to prioritise the issues of biodiversity loss and climate change when engaging with and voting for their candidates.