Curlew Task Force recommendations published
The Task Force – comprising of a wide range of stakeholders including farmers, academic institutions, conservation NGOs and turf cutters – published its recommendations following a 2 year consultation process. The group was set up to address the significant decline in the native breeding population of the bird – 96% loss since the late 1980s.
In welcoming the report, Minister Josepha Madigan TD said:
“Clearly the decline in Curlew numbers is a significant conservation concern and we are determined to work together across Government to halt and reverse this decline. This Curlew Task Force involved over 20 different organisations and the report is a timely reminder of the necessary next steps in conserving the Curlew. In particular, I would like to thank Alan Lauder as Independent Chair of the Curlew Task Force and those engaged with the initiative”.
She also stated that “Some of the recommendations of the Curlew Task Force are well advanced, while others will require further discussion and consideration across Government. These recommendations provide a blueprint for future policy in relation to the Curlew in Ireland.”
The Task Force identifies that the Curlew Conservation Programme – established in 2017 and managed by the Department’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) – focuses on conservation action and engagement with stakeholders and should “continue to be supported, and as soon as practicable, upscaled and expanded”.
Independent Chair of the Task Force, Alan Lauder said:
“In drawing the work of the Task Force to a close, I offer my sincere personal thanks to all who were involved, for your endurance, effort and engagement throughout. I hope all our efforts will go a long way to assist in the recovery of Curlew as a breeding bird in Ireland”. He also urged all to “take the opportunity to maintain the momentum and to build on the conservation work for Curlew as it offers an opportunity for vital heritage conservation, in the broadest sense.”
Read the Curlew Task Force recommendations