Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The light-bellied Brent goose, Branta Bernicla Hrota, breeds in the Canadian high Arctic and winters, almost exclusively, on the island of Ireland. Under the European birds directive, the Brent goose is a protected species, and Ireland has designated a total of 23 special protection areas for the Brent goose, with one further SPA for which the species is listed as an additional special conservation interest. The identification and selection of sites for designation as SPAs was based on monitoring data over the winters 1995-1996 to 1999-2000, inclusive. It was estimated that 53% of the population that over-wintered on the island of Ireland during this period was supported by the 24 SPAs for which the species is listed.

The identification and designation of SPAs was based primarily on core wetlands that supported bird species and provided for their various ecological requirements. However, as many bird species regularly use areas outside of these core wetlands, not all areas utilised by a species were included within the SPA boundaries.Within County Dublin six special protection areas, SPAs include the Brent goose as a special conservation interest, SCI. These are: North Bull Island SPA; Malahide Estuary SPA; Rogerstown Estuary SPA, which I visited recently; Baldoyle Bay SPA; South Dublin Bay SPA; River Tolka Estuary SPA; and Skerries Islands SPA.

The Brent goose is a grazing species and while over-wintering in Ireland the species feeds largely on eelgrass, green algae, and salt marsh vegetation in the intertidal zone. In Dublin and other urban areas the species shifts to graze on grasslands from midwinter as other foraging resources become depleted. This is why we see so many of them flying around our parks over the winter period.

During the period 2013 to 2017 the population of Brent goose over-wintering in Ireland was estimated to be 30,295 individuals. Analyses from the Irish wetland bird survey suggests that the population of Brent geese in Ireland increased by 93% between the winters of 1994, 1995 and 2018 to 2019, albeit with a noted 11% decline from the winter 2013 to 2014 and 2018 to 2019. The Irish wetland bird survey is co-ordinated by BirdWatch Ireland and under contract to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, with surveys undertaken by staff from both the National Parks and Wildlife Service and BirdWatch Ireland as well as hundreds of volunteers each winter.

Brent geese are well known to forage on improved and amenity grasslands such as parks and sports pitches with utilisation of these sites having increased since the 1970s. A study from 2012 to 2013 and 2016 to 2017 identified Brent geese using a total of 113 terrestrial inland feeding sites in Dublin city and environs. The abundance of suitable grasslands for foraging in the Dublin area is a likely factor in the noted increase in the Dublin Bay Brent goose population in recent years. The utilisation of public parks for all is a matter for relevant local authority in the management of their space for nature and other uses. Activities, plans or projects that affect a protected species or their habitats is grounded by legislation and must be considered by the relevant authority. The Senator mentioned the appropriate assessment for the development of Martin Savage Park. The local authorities are obliged to carry out their functions in compliance with various legislative and administrative requirements with respect to the conservation, protection and preservation of the natural and built heritage. I will come back with supplementary information to the Senator.