CABINET HAS SIGNED off on a government action plan to safe the country’s Hen Harriers. 

The Hen Harrier threat response plan was brought to Cabinet by Ministers Darragh O’Brien and Malcolm Noonan.

The plan will be implemented by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

A national survey in 2022 estimated there were between 85 and 106 breeding pairs of the endangered ground-nesting bird in the country.

Ministers were told that if the current trends continue, the bird could go extinct within 25 years. 

The hen harrier typically breeds in open upland bog, heather moorland, and associated habitats. The plan aims to improve the long-term prospects for hen harriers. 

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The Nature Restoration Law sets targets for Ireland’s most rare and precious habitats, such as ancient woodlands, blanket bogs, coastal lagoons, species-rich grasslands and dune systems.

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan recently said that restoring these areas will also benefit endangered species such as the Hen Harrier, as well as the Curlew, Natterjack Toad and Marsh Fritillary Butterfly.