When the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) presented its six-yearly report on Irish protected habitats and species to Brussels last December, the State’s woeful record on habitats - 90 per cent and rising in unfavourable condition – was compensated, to a degree, by our record on protected species of animals and plants. Over two thirds were in stable or improving numbers.
But birds were not included in this report, and a new NPWS publication reveals that many of our waterbirds have steeply declining populations. A third of wintering waterfowl, waders and gulls has disappeared over the last 30 years.
Ireland is a major centre in western Europe for many waterbirds, which migrate here in autumn and winter to avoid colder climates further north. So these population crashes are of European significance. And the pageant of large flocks of these often charismatic birds feeding and calling in our wetlands is, or was, one of the most characteristic outdoor experiences of an Irish winter.
In recent years, avian flu is a significant contributor to these declines, but habitat loss, disturbance, and collisions with infrastructure are also major factors. So is climate change, though it has benefitted certain species, like the little egret.
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Eleven wildfowl species out of 29 have shown marked declines, according to the Irish Wetlands Birds Survey (I-WeBS), researched by staff and hundreds of dedicated bird counter volunteers in BirdWatch Ireland for the NPWS. Five, including the beautiful goldeneye and pochard ducks, have fallen in numbers by more than 50 per cent over the past 26 years, and another five have lost between 25 and 50 per cent of their populations.
Seven of 15 species of wading birds have also shown dramatic losses. A few species, like brent goose, whooper swan and eider duck, have increased in numbers.
It is one more instance of our failure to value the diversity with which nature has endowed this island, unravelling a tapestry we need to restitch. Urgent action, especially wetland habitat restoration, which also mitigates flooding, is required.
