Farmland Bird Species in Rapid Decline

Declining Kestrel and Skylark numbers over the past decade, as well as the extinction of the Corn Bunting to these shores, has sparked BirdWatch Ireland into action.
Farmland Bird Species in Rapid Decline
11/9/2011
Updated:
9/29/2015

Declining Kestrel and Skylark numbers over the past decade, as well as the extinction of the Corn Bunting to these shores, has sparked BirdWatch Ireland into action.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Simon Coveney TD, this week launched BirdWatch Ireland’s Action Plan for Lowland Farmland Birds.  The current action plan is one of 10 such plans which are being created by BirdWatch Ireland to protect priority, migratory and dispersed birds in the wider countryside.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister expressed his disappointment that “farmland birds have experienced some of the largest population declines of any group of birds in Ireland.”  The Minister added that “the Corn Bunting, a specialised lowland farmland bird, had sadly become extinct in Ireland, and data shows that the Kestrel and Skylark have shown a significant decline between 1998 and 2008”.

The Minister said he took some solace in the wide interest in the protection of lowland farmland birds. He was also pleased that over 30 stakeholders were engaged in the development of the BirdWatch Ireland Action Plan.  He said that Action Plans were a ‘proven conservation tool’ and the current plan identifies four themes for the conservation of lowland farmland birds and sets targets and goals that are to be reached.

The Minister said that the Agriculture sector has played a significant role in the protection of these birds and that “lowland farmland birds depend on habitats such as tillage, grasslands and associated features such as hedgerows, ditches, etc. for their survival.”

Dr Alex Copland, Senior Conservation Officer with BirdWatch Ireland, thanked Minister Coveney for his interest and support. He did, however, somewhat contradict the Minister’s statement when he said that “with current CAP reform negotiations ongoing, we are at a crossroads for the delivery of measures to halt the drastic declines in farmland bird populations we have seen, both in Ireland and in Europe.”

Dr Copland continued by saying that ‘voluntary’ agri-environment schemes such as AEOS have the ability to halt and possibly reverse declines if they are ‘implemented correctly’. The BirdWatch Ireland representative said that “continued support for farmers who deliver benefits for wildlife through these schemes is essential.”

BirdWatch Ireland’s Species Policy Officer, Peadar O'Connell said, “Lowland farmland birds provide a lot of enjoyment to people in the wider countryside and form a crucial part of our nation’s natural heritage.”

Mr O'Connell believes that bird species are a vital indicator of the health of our farmland and wider countryside. “The survival of these birds is vital to the continuation of the green image that Irish agriculture currently enjoys both at home and abroad.”

The Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme has compiled population figures for 145 common and widespread bird species in 25 European countries between 1980 and 2009. The overall trend of all 145 species covered has been stable since 1980, but the subset of common farmland birds has declined by 48 per cent and that of common forest birds by 13 per cent.