Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht today
(Wednesday 8 June 2011) officially launched the BirdWatch Ireland Action
Plan for Marine and Sea Cliff Birds in Ireland 2011-2020 at Bray Aquarium.
BirdWatch Ireland are currently working on a project, with Government
support via the Environment Fund, to address some of the issues raised by a
European Court of Justice ruling against Ireland in December 2007 regarding
implementation of the Birds & Habitats Directives. This 10 year Action Plan
is part of that project and aims to identify, through expert opinion and
stakeholder consultation, appropriate measures to protect priority,
migratory and dispersed birds in the wider countryside including the marine
environment.
“Irelands geographic position in Europe helps explain why we have so many
of Europe’s seabirds” said the Minister, “Hundreds of thousands of birds
nest on Ireland’s cliffs and rocky offshore islands each year and many
Irish breeding birds stay within Irish waters in the winter”.
The objectives of the Action Plan include to halt and where possible
reverse declines in the population and range of marine and sea cliff bird
species that are currently undergoing significant population size and/or
range declines or that have in the past undergone large declines and have
not recovered. Another aim is to help contribute to Ireland’s statutory
obligations with respect to Marine and Sea Cliff birds and their habitats
in a national and international context.
“I wish to thank BirdWatch Ireland for their work in producing this plan;
the bringing together of the various stakeholders is a most efficient way
of ensuring the most appropriate knowledge and expertise contributes to
meeting Ireland’s obligations at national and EU level” added the Minister.