Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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576. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the action that his Department will take to address the stark decline of curlew and pygmy shrew populations; if he will outline the work on environmental protection in general that is taking place in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2072/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The decline of Ireland’s native breeding Curlew is a cause of concern. The changes made to land management over the past 40 to 50 years have had consequences for birds such as the Curlew, along with various other species.

It is imperative that we work with those who manage lands where Curlew remain breeding. Since 2017, the Curlew Conservation Programme has operated with local communities and landowners to help find and protect Curlew in nine regions of the country. This has been augmented more laterally with the Irish Breeding Curlew EIP (European Innovation Partnership) operating in two regions and the national agri-environmental scheme (GLAS) operating nationally.

I am conscious that schemes alone are unlikely to be sufficient, in the broader context of how we manage our land-use. Towards that end, the Curlew Task Force produced a useful set of recommendations for the short, medium and long-terms, in relation to for example, agriculture, wind farms and forestry. In addition, the national Prioritised Action Framework (PAF) has a dedicated section for Curlew conservation. A copy of the PAF can be accessed on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at the following link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/files/Prioritised-Action-Framework-(PAF)-for-Natura%20-2000-in-Ireland.pdf.

The pygmy shrew is protected under the Wildlife Acts and it is an offence to capture or kill the animal without a licence. The threat to the pygmy shrew in Ireland is coming from two invasive species – the bank vole and the greater white-toothed shrew. Both of these species appear to have been introduced into Ireland accidentally. Where these two invasive species overlap – the south midlands – there has been a significant decline in pygmy shrews. Given the small size and high reproduction rates of the invasive shrew and the bank vole, eradication of these species is not feasible.

The pygmy shrew remains widespread and abundant elsewhere in Ireland, although it is clear that the invasive species continue to spread. The NPWS have been facilitating research on the pygmy shrew in an effort to better understand the reasons behind its decline. NPWS will continue to work with scientists to examine whether habitat preferences may provide refuges for the pygmy shrew (the invasive species are largely confined to farmland, whereas the pygmy shrew can also inhabit peatlands), or indeed whether other interventions may be effective.

In general, farming dominates the national landscape and this is no different in County Clare. I am a strong advocate of supporting farmers to support nature. There are currently 29 NPWS Farm Plans in County Clare. These plans, primarily in the uplands of West Clare and in the Slieve Bernagh area of East Clare, are focussed on a range of habitats and species of conservation importance, including species rich grasslands, peatlands, Hen Harrier, Barn Owl and Red Grouse.

The NPWS Farm Plan Scheme, while much smaller than the national schemes of GLAS and its successor ACRES, allows for innovative and bespoke solutions for nature, the lessons from which can then be taken forward into the larger national schemes. Farmers, landowners and communities of County Clare also participate in schemes administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, including EIPs and ACRES, the new national agri-environmental climate measure.