John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Thanks to extensive media coverage over the past week, most people in the country are aware of the dastardly deed that took place in Dalkey earlier this week - the cruel and callous attempt to poison peregrine falcons nesting in the quarry. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, and we have records of recent attempts to kill, poison or shoot protected species such as white-tailed eagles, red kites and owls.

We in Ireland are blessed to have such a range of wild birds and birds of prey, but unfortunately we do not value and prize them as much as we should. I call on the Leader to invite the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, to the House to discuss this. In fairness, he has shown great interest in his brief and remit in regard to natural habitats and the preservation and support of wildlife. However, we must support organisations such as Birdwatch Ireland, which must often operate on a wing and a prayer, with limited resources, to try to do a great deal of work. It is impossible for Birdwatch Ireland to do the task before it unless we resource and fund it better.

I am calling this morning for us to support Birdwatch Ireland's call for the appointment of a wildlife liaison officer so that the public at large and the stakeholders in this sector, such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Garda, can be made more aware of the value of our natural heritage, our habitats and our wild birds, particularly birds of prey. It is horrendous to think that people would set out deliberately to poison, persecute and shoot birds or steal eggs from the nests of rare and protected species.

If we look across the water to the UK, we can see the energy, resources and effort put in there to protect birds of prey and develop them as a resource and tourist attraction in rural communities. It is well established that many sustainable and good jobs can be made available to rural communities in places as remote as the Isle of Mull in Scotland, where birds of prey attract tens of thousands of tourists to the area every year, which supports the local economy and tourism. I call on the Leader to invite the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, to the House and I call for support for the efforts of organisations such as Birdwatch Ireland so we can stop the type of carry-on and misconduct we have seen here, which is often based on misinformation surrounding birds of prey. Unfortunately, the situation in Dalkey was not an isolated incident, as we have seen similar incidents in Kerry, Donegal, Tipperary and Clare. We must ensure that we value our natural heritage and environment.