The Breeding Waders EIP (European Innovation Partnership) has been shortlisted for a prestigious EU award.

The Irish conservation project is a finalist in the environmental protection category of the EU CAP Network’s Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Awards (ARIA) 2026.

Co-funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the Breeding Waders EIP aims to halt the decline of Ireland’s breeding wader populations, including the curlew, lapwing and snipe.

Breeding waders

Ireland’s breeding wader populations have suffered steep declines in population size since the 1970s.

Breeding ranges mean that the remaining populations are on the brink of disappearing from certain areas or being no longer viable for long-term survival.

The Breeding Waders EIP supports the recovery of these species through habitat restoration, sustainable land management, innovative conservation and research.

The initiative works on the ground with farmers, researchers, conservation organisations and rural communities and demonstrates the important role farmland can play in protecting biodiversity.

The project has seen several milestones, including Ireland’s first Dunlin Headstarting Programme.

This is only the second successful initiative of its kind globally, and an international first in sourcing Eurasian Curlew eggs from the UK to support Ireland’s breeding population.

Other innovations under the EIP include Ireland’s first GPS-tagging programme for curlew fledglings, an accredited training programme for nest protection officers, the appointment of Ireland’s first female nest protection officers and the launch of the country’s first citizen-science-led American Mink eradication pilot programme.

Led by Irish Rural Link (IRL), the Breeding Waders EIP is supported by a partnership comprising Irish Wildlife Services, Michael Martyn Agri-Environment, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin Zoo, the Centre for Species Survival and Fota Wildlife Park.

Awards

Selected from 128 entries across Europe, the Breeding Waders EIP which was nominated by CAP Network Ireland, is one of just 24 projects to make the final ARIA awards shortlist.

Organised annually by the EU CAP Network, ARIA celebrates inspiring projects shaping the future of rural Europe through support from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The awards showcase the greenest, smartest, most socially inclusive, innovative and resilient CAP-funded projects making a positive impact at local level.

The 2026 awards also place a particular focus on gender equality, highlighting initiatives that support women's participation and leadership in agriculture and rural communities.

The public can show its support for the Irish project in the awards by casting their vote on the EU CAP Network website before 5:00p.m on Tuesday, December 1, 2026.