IRELAND’S LARGEST wildlife conservation body, BirdWatch Ireland, has expressed concern that the changes in the Reps scheme will drastically affect precious wildlife and habitats, agriculture itself and the quality of life of rural people.
It said the unprecedented cutbacks, including a reduction in funding of the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (Reps) by € 140 million per year, posed a real threat to agriculture as an industry and as a livelihood in Ireland, and to the quality of life of people who live in rural areas or visit the countryside.
“While Reps did not turn out to be the saviour of the corncrake or the curlew that we had hoped for, it could in time have been improved upon. It is a great pity that despite the intention to replace the scheme with something, hopefully, better, the attendant funding cuts will see the potential scope and reach of any new scheme much diminished,” said Alan Lauder of BirdWatch.
“Sadly, in these tough economic times investment in our natural environment, the very bedrock of rural tourism and quality of life, is being shunned,” said Mr Lauder who is the organisation’s head of conservation.
“BirdWatch Ireland now hopes that the department will properly consult in advance of launching any poorly funded new scheme to make sure it knows exactly how to maximise the benefit of every cent remaining to enhance our rural environment and its important wildlife,” he said.
He added that support for BirdWatch Ireland’s position came this week from the European Commission’s report assessing the state of nature in the EU.