Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature Project aims to improve Ireland’s performance in conserving important habitats, and in particular to improve the conservation status in the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) network of blanket bog. Central to the project is an agri-environment Results Based Payment Scheme (RBPS) which will reward participating farmers for environmental services – including biodiversity, water quality and carbon storage and sequestration – by linking payments to habitat quality. The primary focus of the project is on blanket bog Natura 2000 sites in the northwest of Ireland.

The project recently launched a pilot RBPS in the Owenduff/Nephin SAC area. Applications to the project are closed for 2021 and will open for additional farmers in selected areas in the North West in 2022. SACs for inclusion in the 2022 scheme will be based on a number of factors, including overall size, number of Qualifying Interests for which the SAC is designated and location of previous EU-funded INTERREG projects. The project will also seek to establish a good geographical spread of participation in results based programmes, such as European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs), to ensure that a wide range of farmers and advisors have received training and experience in this approach in advance of the next CAP Strategic Plan.