Minister Hackett announces €30m European Innovation Partnership call for wader birds

Plans for a landmark new project for one of Ireland’s most vulnerable group of birds, breeding waders, have been announced by Ministers of State Pippa Hackett and Malcolm Noonan, with the launch of a €25 million Call for Proposals for a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on the theme of Breeding Waders. Minister Noonan is also making an additional €5m available for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to implement strategic conservation measures.

Minister at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett, said:

“I am delighted to announce the new Breeding Wader European Innovation Partnership with my colleague Minister Malcolm Noonan. Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew and Snipe would have been a familiar sight in many parts of the countryside in the past, but are now reduced to very small, and, in some cases, critical numbers. Today’s announcement will play a significant role in helping reverse those trends.”

“Today’s €30m European Innovation Partnership call represents a unique opportunity for farmers and communities across our county to work together to help reverse the decline of these precious birds. In Offaly, we are lucky to have a rich landscape including a variety of wetlands that could benefit from this funding in the future.”

"There has been strong engagement between our two Departments on biodiversity and water quality issues and we look forward to continuing this positive engagement as this Breeding Waders EIP is rolled out.”

Minister Hackett concluded: “We have used the EIP model over the past number of years to help bring farmers and other stakeholders together in local and regional groups, backed up with the financial and administrative support they need, and I am delighted we can now bring forward an EIP of this scale to help save some of our most endangered birds. It is essential that we work with and alongside farmers to ensure these birds can thrive again at key sites. Collaboration and buy-in at a local level are key to addressing some of our most challenging conservation concerns. Now is the time to reinforce those partnerships and to support our breeding waders before it’s too late.”

Minister Malcolm Noonan said:

“I am delighted that the NPWS of my Department will contribute €17.5m to ensure that the essential work between farmers, communities, landowners and other organisations to protect these amazing birds will continue and expand under a new Breeding Wader European Innovation Partnership.

“Over many years, partnership between the NPWS and DAFM on the Curlew Conservation Programme has shown how collaboration at local level can work towards addressing some of the most challenging conservation concerns of our time. Building on these efforts and expertise, this EIP will provide a conservation framework for the conservation of these special birds, including Curlew, Lapwing, Dunlin, Redshank, Snipe and Golden Plover. It is a great opportunity to provide positive synergies and collaboration across programmes at local and national level for these threatened species.

“In addition to the €17.5m investment in this EIP by my department, I am delighted to announce an additional €5m fund for breeding waders over the next five years,”

Minister Noonan added:

“This investment will be used strategically by NPWS, for example for the creation of permanent predator proof fences, which we have seen to deliver for breeding waders at various sites around Ireland.”

Commenting on the launch of the call, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, said:

“My Department is investing significantly in European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) as part of the CAP Strategic Plan. There is good reason for this with Ireland’s EIP initiatives proving a successful approach to not only the protection of our biodiversity but across a multitude of areas from water quality improvement to heritage to gender balance and much more besides. An additional benefit to this EIP is the collaboration between our two departments which will undoubtedly strengthen it, building on the joint approach in the Curlew Conservation Programme.”

Populations of breeding waders, which include Curlew, Dunlin, Lapwing, and Golden Plover, among others, have declined by as much as 98% in recent decades in the Irish countryside. The key objectives of this EIP project will be to secure existing wader populations at key sites and to support population recovery via wider landscape management and policy development.