Ms Oonagh Duggan:

I will go over some of the causes and what needs to be done. Climate change is playing a part in the decline of some species but the loss of and degradation of habitats, pollution, predation of nests and chicks, and disturbance caused by human activities are the most significant reasons for decline. Specifically, the stepped-up and continued intensification of agriculture, afforestation on high nature value farmland, inadequate protection of hedgerows, peatlands and other habitats, overfishing and unmanaged recreation are all taking a toll. On top of this, the failure to enforce environmental laws, inadequate environmental assessment of projects and plans, and poor mitigation measures are, on their own and cumulatively, leading to this poor outcome for wild birds and associated biodiversity.

Unfortunately, sectoral policies and plans are undermining policies and legal obligations to protect nature. In addition, chronic underfunding of the National Parks and Wildlife Service means this creates significant challenges for us to be able to continue to protect biodiversity as the response is inadequate. Under EU and national law, all wild birds are protected but Ireland is failing to protect them and the habitats they need.

Protecting and restoring biodiversity must be at the heart of all Government land use policies and decisions. Failure to halt losses and reverse trends will mean further breaches of international legal obligations. It will also hamper our ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

We must meet our target to cut emissions by 51% by 2030 and every sector must play its part. In addition, landscape-scale restoration of habitats to complement absolute emissions cuts is critical. Nature-based solutions for climate action, some of which the meeting has already heard about, will help wild birds but preventing catastrophic decline and extinctions will require a significant, co-ordinated and sustained effort of targeted and resourced measures. These include supporting high nature value farming and pulling back on the intensification of agriculture; providing generous agri-environment schemes in the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, to support farmers to farm with nature; a new forestry model that protects the biodiversity we have; resourced species recovery plans, enforcement of environmental legislation; urgent designation of new marine protected areas; and the sensitive deployment of renewables both onshore and offshore.

BirdWatch Ireland is playing its part through the restoration of peatlands in counties Donegal and Sligo, working directly with farmers in counties Galway and Leitrim to save the curlew and a range of other species, as well as other survey, monitoring, conservation and awareness-raising projects.

The tide of public opinion has turned as declines in environmental quality become more obvious. We must listen to the science and act to protect our valuable heritage so that our countryside and coast does not go quiet for the lack of birds.