The National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) have donated €25,000 towards the rehabilitation and improvement of important wildlife habitats in Finland.
At the Waterfowlers Network meeting held on February 12 in Co. Wexford, the NARGC, represented by the Irish Habitat Trust, donated €25,000 towards the Finnish SOTKA-project and various other pivotal projects managed by the Waterfowlers Network.
The SOTKA project’s objective is to rehabilitate 400ha of crucial brood habitat by rewetting bogs in the waterfowl breeding regions of Finland and Scandinavia, essential breeding grounds for Ireland’s migratory waterfowl.
Species such as widgeon and teal, which migrate to Ireland during the winter months, will greatly benefit from enhanced productivity on their breeding ground habitats.
John Butler, chairman of NARGC, emphasised the collaborative nature of initiatives like the SOTKA project and the Waterfowlers Network, which he said can illustrate how hunters and wildlife agencies can cooperate to benefit species conservation, particularly on a European scale.
Butler said: “Such collaborative efforts across borders for migratory birds should be central to the management plans by all the countries and agencies on the birds migratory path.
“Arbitrary or isolated kneejerk actions by individual countries or ministries do nothing for the species other than isolate and marginalise the hunters who do most for the birds’ conservation,” he added.
NARGC, representing Ireland, is among the core partners of the seven organizations forming the Waterfowlers Network.
It has six other partner groups, which represent hunters in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK.
These partners aim to unite with other stakeholders, coordinating efforts and addressing gaps in current waterbird conservation initiatives.
Butler noted the significance of hosting the Waterfowlers Network in Co. Wexford, which he said is “renowned for its water fowling traditions.
“The gathering brought together representatives from hunting associations, national wildlife agencies, data scientists, ecologists, and hunters from across Europe to strategize future projects and evaluate existing work over two days.
The NARGC further noted that Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan, and the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) had been given substantial additional funding in the last budget.
Butler called on the Minister to match the €25,000 committed to by the NARGC, to advance these projects on the breeding grounds of these species.
“This is an opportunity for this Green Party minister to show his commitment to real migratory duck conservation,” Butler concluded.
The presence of Co. Wexford Independent TD Verona Murphy at the meeting, the NARGC stated, “underscored her commitment to understanding the importance of European partnerships in advancing conservation efforts, highlighting the valuable contributions of the Waterfowlers Network, the Irish Habitat Trust, and NARGC”.