Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 May 2021
522. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 476 of 13 May 2021, the way all forestry projects in Ireland will impact on the whooper swan, the Greenland white-fronted goose and the barnacle goose, given the fact these bird species breed and nest in Greenland and only winter remotely in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27456/21]
View answerIreland’s geographic position places it along an important migratory route – the East Atlantic Flyway – with birds travelling from northern breeding grounds to Ireland and to other important wintering areas farther south. Ireland’s relatively mild climate, moderated by the influences of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Stream, together with its diversity and abundance of productive wetland habitats, make it particularly attractive for wintering waterbirds, especially when other parts of northwest Europe are frozen over. While many waterbirds remain in Ireland for the duration of the winter, others occur on passage before migrating further south.
Ireland’s migratory swan and goose species feed directly on agricultural grasslands, stubble fields and winter cereals, often returning to nearby waterbodies to roost at night. These species are therefore potentially vulnerable to changes in agricultural land use and management. For most swans and geese in Ireland the main threat is likely to be conversion of improved pasture and semi-improved wet grassland to other crop types or to forestry. There is also the threat that afforestation will take place on lands neighbouring those areas used by Greenland White-fronted geese, which may deter them from feeding even if suitable foraging habitat remains in the area.
The source for this advice is set out below.
Source: Lewis, L. J., Burke, B., Fitzgerald, N., Tierney, T. D. & Kelly, S. (2019) Irish Wetland Bird Survey: Waterbird Status and Distribution 2009/10-2015/16. Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 106. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland.
