Birdwatch Says PfG Does Not Provide Emergency Response

In the Irish government Programme for Government, there are multiple mentions of biodiversity but not the needed emergency response says Birdwatch Ireland.

We live in a connected Ireland and wildlife is part of the holistic reality we live in.

BirdWatch Ireland broadly welcomes the publication of the Programme for Government. Upon detailed review of the document, we can confirm that it mentions biodiversity 50 times including in the sixth sentence of the document.

A spokesperson for Birdwatch Ireland said: “This is significant progress since the 2016 Programme for Government, when biodiversity was not mentioned at all. 

“On May 9^th 2019 the Dáil declared a biodiversity and climate emergency, based on grave national and international scientific evidence that humanity was a having a devastating impact on habitats, species and on our climate.

“We submitted 50 detailed sectoral and cross cutting ‘asks’ in advance of government formation talks and based on our Manifesto for Nature to address the biodiversity emergency. Two of those asks are included in the Programme for Government and there are partial commitments to 6 others.  

“BirdWatch Ireland welcomes the radical proposal and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7% annually, but there are no clear targets, urgency, concrete actions or funding commitments to address Ireland’s biodiversity emergency. 

“The Programme for Government had an opportunity to reflect the scientific evidence and to bring back thriving biodiversity as a permanent feature of the Irish landscape through transformational policies, but it has only touched the tip of the iceberg. Sectoral safeguards for biodiversity are also missing including the urgent need to address gaps in the knowledge on seabirds in relation to offshore wind farm development.”

Oonagh Duggan Assistant Head of Policy and Advocacy said: “Biodiversity is finally on the political agenda but much more needs to be done to address the biodiversity emergency.

“We support the direction of travel of this Programme for Government and we will work hard with all parties to ensure that much more will be achieved for wild birds and their habitats, other biodiversity and a stable climate”. 

“It is welcome to see further commitment to the Dáil declaration to establish the Citizens’ Assembly to address biodiversity loss but there is no urgency implied due the lack of a timeline. 

“We call on the new government to set up this long-promised Citizens’ Assembly within its first 100 days. We also warmly welcome the action to explore how bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement can ensure a joined-up approach to environmental issues on an all-island basis and seek to develop an all-island strategy to tackle climate breakdown and the biodiversity crisis, as Ireland is a single biogeographic unit and birds don’t know no what borders are. 

“We very much support the commitment to use wellbeing indicators as well as economic indicators in future and the provision of more opportunities for citizens to cycle and walk and improve their wellbeing. 

“The proposed Land Use review is very promising and needs to be kick started as a matter of urgency. We welcome the coordination of actions in the Programme for Government regarding peatlands to maximise the benefits for biodiversity and urge parties to ensure that birds of our peatlands and other wildlife are given space to thrive. 

“While the Programme commits to the EU Green Deal, there are no firm commitments to the ambitious targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 which formed such a key part of BirdWatch Ireland’s “asks” of political parties in the run-up to this year’s General Election, including setting a legally binding target that at least 30% of Irish land and sea be primarily managed for nature with 10% strictly protected and a target of restoration of 15% of terrestrial habitats and seas. 

“There is still time for the government to give their full support to these targets in the forthcoming European Council meetings and we call on it to do so. BirdWatch Ireland is very disappointed that no additional funding has been committed to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the state body which leads on the protection of biodiversity in Ireland and whose funding has never recovered from the 2008 recession cuts.

“In addition, the proposed review of its remit, status and funding in the absence of any firm promise to strengthen it is worrying: we hope that this is merely an oversight, and would stress that BirdWatch Ireland stands ready to assist in any review. 

“Much of the Programme mentions of biodiversity relate to agriculture the intensification which has been the primary driver of terrestrial habitat loss and degradation, declines in bird species and insects including pollinators, and loss in water quality.

“It appears that the Programme for Government is not taking the foot off the intensification pedal, of dairy farming in particular and we are very concerned that this will result in further loss of biodiversity. We welcome the commitment to address Common Agriculture Policy rules on land eligibility and rewarding farmers for ecosystem services.

“We are disappointed to note that there is no obvious support for High Nature Value low intensity, low-input livestock farming, often undertaken by small farmers, which could, if supported properly deliver highly effective conservation of habitats and species and support farmers financially. 

“Wild birds are indicators of the health of our environment and farmland birds in Ireland have suffered catastrophic losses, with breeding Curlew, Lapwing, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Hen Harrier, and Corncrake hanging on a thread with little or no recovery in sight.

“We have also seen dramatic declines in species like Barn Owl and Yellowhammer in both range and numbers. And now, very worryingly, once previously common and widespread farmland birds like Kestrel and Stock Dove are declining which suggests that impacts of changes in agriculture are spreading to more generalist species.

“The scale of the challenge of addressing loss of farmland birds and other biodiversity is staggering but the right type of farming is a critically important part of the solution. 

Oonagh Duggan added: “The proposed €1.5bn REPS 2 scheme encourages planting of native forestry and enhancing biodiversity, but this new money will need to be strategically targeted so that the most threatened species and habitats benefit and are not further threatened.” She continued, “Ireland has been a leader in targeted results-based agri-environment schemes but there needs to be many more. We welcome the support in the Programme for Government for these. “Supporting landscape scale, well-funded actions with long contracts would incentivise farmers to farm for Curlew (and other threatened species), or to farm for carbon. 

“In relation to the Marine the EU Biodiversity Strategy targets of 30% designation for nature and 10% strict protection by 2030 must be set in stone. The transformational policies required based on the science to address the biodiversity emergency are still to come and we will work with the new government to develop and implement them.” 

Ends Notes: 1. For media enquiries please contact Oonagh Duggan, oduggan@birdwatchireland.ie 086-8893990. BirdWatch ireland is Ireland’s largest conservation organisation and dedicated to the conservation of wild birds, their habitats and other biodiversity. More info here www.birdwatchireland.ie2. Facts and Figures on the Status of birds, other biodiversity and habitats in Ireland as it relates to BirdWatch Ireland focus areas.

• Two thirds of Ireland’s regularly occurring wild bird species are Red or Amber-Listed Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland. Farmland birds in particular are continuing to show declines and no recovery from the catastrophic and steady crash in populations since the 70s and up to this day. Habitat loss/change and change in farming practices are leading causes of losses[1] [2]. Corncrake, Barn Owl, Yellowhammer, Twite, Whinchat as well as the suite of breeding waders like Curlew, Lapwing, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Redshank and Snipe are severely threatened. Other more common farmland birds like Common Kestrel and Stock Dove are showing declines now, with Skylark and Meadow Pipit also ones to watch. 
• Birds on fragile mountain and hill habitats such as breeding Hen Harrier, Red Grouse, Golden Plover are also in a precarious position.

• One third of our 99 wild bee species are threatened with extinction. Reasons for decline include; Loss of habitat through conversion of low-intensity farmland and semi-natural land to intensive farmland, forestry and urban/ industrial use; Loss of flowering plants as a food source due to changing farming practices are reasons for decline; Poisoning from pesticide use[4]
• 40% of our wintering waterbirds have declined in 20 years with changes in land use threatening geese, swans and some wader species[5]
• 85% of EU protected habitats (the best of the best and internationally important) have ‘bad’ conservation status according to the latest report from the Irish government to the Commission[6] and 70% of these are negatively impacted by agriculture[7]
• There has been a loss of 28% of the surveyed area of the EU protected and Annex 1 lowland hay meadow habitat since 2013 due to impacts of intensification of agriculture and application of slurry[8].
• Water quality results show a decline in Ireland in the period 2013-2019 after a period of stabilisation with now only 53% of Ireland’s surface water bodies having satisfactory water quality. The number of pristine water bodies has fallen to 20 from 500 since the 1980’s. Pollution from agriculture is a dominant factor along with wastewater discharges[9].
• Eutrophication of freshwater bodies is considered to pose a high-level pressure and medium-level threat to four waterbird species namely, Goldeneye, Pochard, Scaup and Tufted Duck; and a medium-level pressure and threat to Coot and Gadwall[10].
• The NPWS Article 17 report to the European Commission on the status of protected species (2019) including water-dependent species states ‘The Agriculture category represents the highest percentage of High-importance pressures (Figure 9) relative to other categories, with the incidence predicted to increase over the next 12 years; this has been linked to the threat from fertiliser and pollution on selected fish species[11].
• Greenhouse gas emissions nationally have increased and those from agriculture have not only increased, they are projected to increase further out to 2030 to 38% of total emissions[12] [13].
• Drained peatlands (raised bog, upland blanket bog and other peat soils) and related activities account for emissions of c.11 million tonnes of CO2 per year[14] – equating to total emissions from the energy sector in 2018 (11.7 million tonnes CO2 per year)[15]
• Forestry is a significant pressure and threat to Red and Amber listed birds of Conservation Concern[16].
• In relation to Ireland’s 24 breeding seabird species (threat level is medium or high)[17]:
  • 22 are threatened by wind, wave and tidal energies if not planned correctly
  • 21 are threatened by fisheries bycatch
  • 18 are threatened by climate change
  • 13 are threatened by marine plastics
  • 11 are threatened by recreational activities
• Six species of sharks, skates and rays in Irish waters are Critically Endangered, a further five species are Endangered, 6 species are Vulnerable and 19 are near threatened according to IUCN Red List criteria. In essence 62% of Ireland’s rich cartilaginous fish species are in trouble[18] and the foremost risk in Irish waters is over-exploitation as part of commercial fisheries.
• 45% of fishing limits agreed for 2020 in the North East Atlantic are in excess of scientific advice and eight Irish stocks are critically overfished where scientists have advised that no fish should be taken.