Three Atlantic seaboard counties will host a new €4.35 million programme to protect the corncrake, a rare and endangered bird, and other bird species. Building on the many successes of the Corncrake LIFE project, the new initiative, named the ‘Natura Communities for Birds’ programme, will build capacity in coastal and rural communities to deliver nature conservation actions for farmland birds.
The programme will initially operate in nine key sites in the counties of Donegal, Mayo, and Galway, selected for the conservation of the corncrake and designated as Special Protection Areas, but will also support the conservation of a broader range of bird species.
The corncrake is listed on the Red List of Conservation Concern due to population declines in Ireland and across Europe. Over the past five years, the Corncrake LIFE project contributed to a 55% increase in the national corncrake population, with almost 1,500 hectares of land in management agreements with landowners.
Corncrake conservation gets a new west coast funding boost
It is widely considered an exemplar of bird conservation projects and was warmly received by the local communities and landowners it worked with. The project was led by NPWS in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Fota Wildlife Park, Atlantic Technological University, and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Speaking from Belmullet in Co. Mayo, where he launched the Natura Communities for Birds programme, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan, said the initial project “has been an incredibly successful and hopeful story of nature conservation in Ireland”. “Through investment in conservation, and working hand in hand with local communities, this most elusive bird and its unique call can be heard a bit louder every year in the meadows, farmlands and hayfields of the northwest,” he said.
“Last year saw the highest number of corncrake territories recorded in 25 years. An incredible 250 farmers and landowners across Donegal, Mayo and Galway are now managing land for nature, implementing measures which protect this bird and improve its habitat,” Christopher O'Sullivan added. “This new programme will build on that progress and provide further investment in communities here to keep up this good work. We need to support farmers and landowners who want to farm with nature and make sure that they are rewarded for the results they produce,” he said.
The Natura Communities for Birds Programme will see conservation action being led by a locally embedded team in partnership with landowners, farmers and communities.
The programme will be overseen by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which will work closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. NPWS has appointed Atlantic West Community Alliance CLG to develop and help deliver the Nature Community for Birds pilot programme.
The programme will run for an initial three-year period. It is being funded through contributions from NPWS, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Shared Island funding.
It will focus on corncrake conservation and habitat restoration, species monitoring, forging community partnerships, and developing champions for bird conservation.
