As the open season for bird hunting begins today (Wednesday, September 1), the Minister of State with responsibility for heritage has expressed misgivings about the effect this may have on certain species.
Minister Malcolm Noonan said this morning: “Biodiversity in Ireland is coming under pressure from many different sources. Such pressures combined can have a negative impact on many species.
“Our wild bird populations are particularly susceptible and it is important that we fully understand how our actions and other factors cumulatively can impact on the viability of vulnerable bird species,” he added.
“Our birdlife is an essential component of the natural ecosystems that we too are part of.”
The minister said he believed that “it was necessary for us to look again” at how bird hunting impacts on the bird populations.
According to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), the conservation status of a number of species which are permitted to be hunted at certain times of the year is declining, including red grouse, golden plover, woodcock, shoveler and snipe.
Minister Noonan said that it is “difficult to access” the sustainability of hunting these birds as there are “some gaps in the data” on population sizes and trends and there is no clear information on the numbers of birds hunted annually.
“It’s clear that we need a new way forward – based on scientific evidence, collaboration and strategic action – to ensure the sustainable hunting of birds of conservation concern in Ireland.”
He added that he had established a working group in the NPWS to “determine the next steps and to invite stakeholders to participate in a collaborative dialogue in the coming months to develop a plan for a sustainable future for these species in Ireland”.
“In that, I want to fully respect the views of the various stakeholders and accept that some may be diametrically opposed. Nonetheless, I am keen to find common ground,” the minister commented.
Minister Noonan added that, before the start of hunting season comes around next year, the NPWS will have developed a paper on “the science, the EU position and what can be done in Ireland in the short, medium and long term”.