The survey, carried out in 2015, is the fourth national survey of hen harriers to be undertaken in Ireland. It was preceded by surveys in 1998-2000, 2005 and 2010 .

The aims of the surveys are to quantify the size and distribution of the breeding population and examine changes since the previous national survey.

As the hen harrier is a protected species, EU member states are obliged to conserve them through the designation of Natura 2000 sites, also known as Special Protection Areas (SPAs), and through regular survey monitoring.

As well as showing a 15.6% decrease on the number of hen harrier pairs since 2010, the survey predicted an alarming rate of decline for hen harriers based on the rate of decline found in 2015 (11.7% every five years or 2.34% annually). It found that if this rate of decline is not halted and reversed, there could be fewer than 100 pairs of hen harrier in Ireland within 25 years.

“While the national population appeared to increase between 2005 and 2010, this may have been largely due to the increasing survey effort,” the study says.

“And despite a further increase in survey effort between 2010 and 2015, a national population decline is now recorded. This further supports the validity of a genuine population decline recorded in 2015.”

The survey also found that distribution of the confirmed breeding population was similar to 2010 with 6,210 square kilometres occupied. However, overall breeding distribution (including confirmed and possible pairs) of the population has increased by 22% to 8,410 square kilometres compared with 6,910 square kilometres in 2010.

SPAs

The study also found declines in the 10 square kilometres which contain SPAs, revealing an 18.1% decline in the maximum population size since 2010 and a decline of 17.1% since 2005.

What goes on in SPAs is of particular interest to farmers, since this land designation covers approximately 169,000ha, affecting 3,860 farmers. More than 50% of the 169,000ha is afforested, while roughly 30% is made up of farmland.

Hen harrier land designation has been a contentious issue for farmers since it was brought in, with them having to undergo greater efforts in relation to compliance than farmers on undesignated land. Moreover, no compensation has been received for land designation since the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Farm Plan Scheme ended in 2010. Currently, the only compensatory option open to farmers with designated land for hen harrier is through GLAS and GLAS+.

Recently, the idea of creating a Locally Led Agri-Environmental Scheme (LLAES) that would benefit both the protected bird and the farmer is one that has been floated among a number of farming groups.

The Slieve Aughty farming group is one group that has outlined a number of recommendations under LLAES that they believe can halt and reverse the decline of the hen harrier in these areas.

Recommendations

The report has its own recommendations, saying that hen harrier conservation will only be achieved through optimisation and availability of suitable conditions for hen harriers at the breeding and wintering sites.

It also says that by utilising up-to-date metrics of distribution and abundance, evidence-based targeted conservation actions for national and regional populations would be enabled. It adds that these actions should be implemented through national and site-specific management plans.

“It is therefore important in light of this ongoing analysis and for the future of hen harrier conservation that an updated survey be completed within the next five years to identify changes where/if they occur,” it concludes.

INHFA

Commenting on the report, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Assocation (INHFA) said the fall in hen harrier numbers "is a clear indication that the present policy on conservation and land designations is not working". The organisation outlined three areas that need to change:

1. The views of the farmers need to be taken into consideration wherever the designations are, rather than dictating policy from a national level.

2. The NPWS needs to put in place management plans for each of the SPA and SAC sites, taking on board local considerations and input.

3. We also need to see more constructive engagement from the Department of Agriculture towards the protection of habitats, which doesn't adversely affect farmers, who are also trying to manage the environmental considerations that comes with these designations.

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