Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

164 Chapter 7: Nature The EEA’s latest ‘State of nature in the EU’ report (2020) shows alarming results from the 2013-2018 reporting period (Topic Box 7.3). Topic Box 7.3  State of Nature in the EU The EEA says that many species and habitats in Europe face an uncertain future unless urgent action is taken to reverse the situation (Figure 7.6). Figure 7.6:  Summary of the state of nature in Europe Nearly half of the bird species have a ‘good’ population status, but farmland birds show least improving trends. Illegal killing and hunting are the biggest overall pressures for migratory birds. Habitats important for pollinators have worse conservation status and trends than other habitats. Only 14% of habitats assessments and 27% of non-bird species have a ‘good’ conservation status. Forests show most improving trends and grasslands, dunes and bogs the most deteriorating trends. Natura 2000 sites cover 18% of land and 10% of marine waters in the EU. Climate change is a rising threat, especially due to droughts and lower precipitation. Agricultural activities , land abandonment and urbanisation are the major pressures for habitats and species, followed by pollution. Status and trends of marine species and habitats remain largely unknown. Source: Adapted from EEA, 2020 Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland Birdwatch Ireland and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Northern Ireland carried out the latest assessment of the conservation status of all regularly occurring birds on the island of Ireland, known as the Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland (BoCCI) review. This assessment is separate from the EU Birds Directive requirements. The criteria on which the BoCCI review is based do, however, include conservation status at global and European levels and within Ireland. It assesses historical decline, trends in population and range, rarity, localised distribution and international importance. The latest BoCCI report included a range of national and global criteria and placed 26% of the 211 species assessed on the Red List, meaning that they are considered to be of high conservation concern (Gilbert et al. , 2021). Particularly affected are breeding waterbirds, and birds that use upland and farmland habitats (Gilbert et al. , 2021), but all habitats and bird groups are affected to some degree (Figure 7.7). More alarming is the fact that iconic species, some once common across the Irish landscape, such as the curlew, corncrake and hen harrier, are considered to be on the brink of extinction (for discussion of related conservation projects, see the section below on the Corncrake LIFE project and the Curlew Conservation Programme).