Farmers participating in a nationwide European Innovation Partnership (EIP) programme on breeding waders will be allocated funding worth a total of €7.5 million.
The programme aims to secure existing wader populations at key sites, and to support population recovery via wider landscape management and policy development.
Populations of breeding waders, which include curlew, dunlin, lapwing, and golden plover, have declined by as much as 98% in recent decades in the Irish countryside.
The EIP, which has been allocated €25 million to cover administration and farmer payments, was previously announced by Ministers of State Pippa Hackett and Malcolm Noonan.
Breeding waders EIP
Following an open call for proposals last December, a consortium led by the Irish Rural Link (IRL) has been selected as the operational group to deliver the upcoming EIP project.
The successful application was submitted by IRL 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.
Speaking about the project, Seamus Boland, CEO of Irish Rural Link, said: “We are delighted to be part of this new and exciting project. We are looking forward to working with all our partners on the project and engaging with farmers across the country.
“This is a great opportunity for farmers to work with experts and protect the local biodiversity of their land.”
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said the breeding waders EIP will build on the success of previous conservation programmes, and added:
“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 of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett said the concept of this EIP is to work with farmers and other stakeholders.
Commenting on the announcement, 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.”
Minister Hackett said she wishes the team every success with its collective and collaborative work with farmers to restore habitats for these “special birds”.