Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has welcomed the continued progress of the Breeding Waders EIP (European Innovation Partnership).

Minister Heydon, along with Minister of State for biodiversity and nature Christopher O'Sullivan, marked the fact that the EIP now has 170 landowners involved, with 2,340ha of land now being actively managed to support targeted conservation actions. 

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said that the uptake of the EIP "reflects a strong and growing commitment from farmers and land managers to support some of our most iconic native species".

Among these species are the Eurasian curlew, Eurasian oystercatcher, northern lapwing, common redshank, dunlin, and common snipe.

The department said several have these birds have faced "severe decline" in their populations in recent decades.

The Breeding Waders EIP is funded by both the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Commenting on the EIP and its progress to date, Minister Heydon said: "It’s great to see such positive engagement from farmers and other landowners with the Breeding Waders EIP project and I would like to congratulate all involved in reaching such high levels of participation.

"A project of this scale and ambition relies heavily on landowner support, and collaboration is essential to securing and improving breeding wader populations which is the key objective of this EIP," Minister Heydon added.

Minister Christopher O'Sullivan commented: "Many species of birds in Ireland are under threat but our breeding waders in particular have seen massive declines over the last number of years.

"Through the efforts of the team at the Breeding Waders EIP and the enthusiasm of the landowners who are volunteering to take part in this collaborative project, I am hopeful that we will start to see a reversal of these trends," Minister O'Sullivan added.

Through the project, participating landowners work with the Breeding Waders EIP project team, who liaise directly with them to agree proposed actions before a habitat management plan is finalised.

The Department of Housing said this approach "ensures that every measure is tailored to the individual farm and fully supported by the landowner".

Once plans are agreed, participants receive supports, along with participation payments that recognise the time and effort involved to enhance breeding success and improve overall habitat quality.

According to the department, the Breeding Waders EIP team will continue to expand support for participating landowners, with further training events, habitat assessments, and monitoring planned throughout the life of the project.

The project team is encouraging landowners with suitable habitat for wading birds, such as open, naturally rich areas with good connectivity and low predator pressure, to get involved.