Donegal project launch to help save disappearing corncrakes

It will be a big week for Ireland’s disappearing corncrake when a special conservation project will be officially launched in Gortahork this Friday.

Numbers of the bird have dramatically declined in Donegal and elsewhere in the country over recent decades and it will disappear, if remedial action is not taken. The birds are now largely confined to the Gaeltacht regions.

The project is about working with communities, landowners and farmers to save Ireland’s Iconic Corncrake.

The project is working towards saving the last of Ireland corncrakes by bringing together landowners, farmers and local communities in some of Ireland’s most spectacular coastal locations.

The launch will take place at Óstán Loch Altan, Gortahork from 9.30am until 12.15pm on Friday March 25, with speakers from 10.30am which will include Minister Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage and Green Party TD; Dr. John Carey, Corncrake LIFE project manager, the project team which includes Irish speakers.
Local groups and individuals, including farmers who are beginning to undertake work to improve habitats for the corncrake will also be in attendance.

The corncrake is one of Ireland most iconic bird species, but they have declined by >90% in the last forty years. Its distinctive call was once heard all over the Irish countryside, but a rapid shift towards intensive agriculture has wiped the birds out and they are now only found in the west and northwest of the country.

The birds are now largely confined to the Gaeltacht regions. The bird survives through a delicate balance of traditional land use and farming which, like the Irish language, is under an increasing threat.

The survival of the corncrake has become symbolic of the struggle to maintain a way of life, a heritage of sustainable land management, and a community dynamic that has largely been lost across Ireland.

The Corncrake LIFE project will work to address the many complex issues in the birds’ remaining strongholds to ensure that communities, farmers and wildlife can co-exist without conflict.