Funding to protect wildlife in the Duhallow region

RURAL communities hold the key to nature conservation and, by so doing, can ensure their own survival — was the message from a conference of environmental experts in Newmarket, Co Cork. 

Newmarket is in the heart of the historic Duhallow region through which flows the Blackwater and other noted fishing rivers and where farmers, anglers and a wide range of people are already involved in the conservation of protected species. This region of sylvan, rolling countryside is showing the way to other parts of Ireland and the EU.

EU LIFE funding is a special funding stream to assist EU member states improve the conservation of wildlife of European importance. The two-day conference, hosted by IRD Duhallow, a rural development company based in Newmarket, marked the end of a four and half year EU LIFE project, known as DuhallowLIFE.

Carried out in partnership with Inland Fisheries Ireland, it aimed to protect wildlife such as the freshwater pearl mussel, Atlantic salmon, otter and kingfisher. The Irish dippers sub-species was also included.

Achievements, to date, were presented by Dr Fran Igoe who also outlined details of a new project, RaptorLIFE, to promote the conservation of birds of prey like the hen harrier and merlin, as well as Atlantic salmon and brook lamprey, in the upper Blackwater area. IRD Duhallow is the first and only Irish non-government agency to lead on an EU LIFE project.

Chief executive Maura Walsh described it as an exciting development, with local people working with environmental groups and state agencies to help save important wildlife species, not just in Duhallow but in Europe.

Ruairi O Conchúir gave an absorbing talk on work carried out for the MulkearLIFE project, in Co Limerick, to improve lamprey fish passage throughout the river system, and also the work carried out with farmers. Duhallow angler Michael Twohig told how the project on invasive plant species benefited angling and emphasised the need for state agencies to work together to resolve environmental issues quickly. Derval Vaughan, national school principal in Kanturk, stressed the importance of such projects for children and education in general.

Dr Barry O’Donoghue, of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, gave an overview of hen harrier situation and the issues facing the bird in Duhallow which include an 80% decline in its territory. Duhallow Birdwatch is also involved in the conservation of barn owls and swifts.

This is a region tailor-made for great conservation work, worthy of Government and EU support — essential to enable the work to continue.

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