Habitat Enhancement &/ Restoration, Agri-environmental actions & Farm-related Payments including the development of a robust range of habitat and species actions for participating landowners. These payments can be for individual actions undertaken by individual participants and also for collaborative, landscape payments which reward groups of landowners for working together for waders (Wader Co-Operatives or Farm Clusters for Breeding Waders). The greater the contiguous land area in a bespoke Land Management Agreement (LMA) the greater the ability for actions to direct positive outcomes. The system will require an overarching ‘diagnosis and action plan’ for each wader action zone to focus our objectives. It will also document the range of existing ongoing initiatives (ACRES CP, LIFE projects, EIPs) operating in the area, evaluate where gaps exist, and detail the range of locally targeted bespoke wader actions, that will be implemented by the EIP team in the specific WAZ, as well as providing information, training and specialist advice to inform the targeting and specifications of actions by others (eg ACRES CP, environmental planners, etc) Opportunities have been explored, and will continue to be, concerning the use of non-commercially farmed land. It is envisaged that Breeding Wader actions and habitat conservation/restoration on semi-state and privately-owned land will form a second body of work in this EIP. The aim will be to foster positive relations through co-designed and locally-led solutions between the people who have managed these landscapes for generations and the project team, and, in doing so, foster positive attitudes towards Breeding Waders. This relationship is central to maintaining and enhancing the biodiversity that exists in Wader Action Zones. 

Headstarting and avicultural training including the exploration of captive breeding, translocation and reintroduction. This theme will also include tracking of released fledglings and data gathering on post-release survival rates and key Wintering areas. Project Partners, Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park will be central to this theme and its dissemination. 

Nest Protection and associated Predation Risk Management (PRM), including sectoral capacity building and innovative techniques, incorporating the publication of best practice SOP’s and the use of modern technologies to improve efficiency and ethics. Innovation will be shown in the writing of Site Specific Nest Protection Plans, the development of Nest Protection Officers training course as well in ethical trap design and production.

Agricultural Policy and Advice, including data pertinent to National land-use and planning policies that are often conflicting and preventing recovery opportunities for waders – e.g., Forestry expansion in wetlands, use of peatlands as sites for renewable energy developments, land reclamation and drainage, etc. Considering the flexibility ingrained in the EU CAP, this EIP will explore how Ireland’s CAP can be individualised to protect Irish Breeding Waders. Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) covers many Breeding Wader habitat types. This BW EIP will aim to deliver co-benefits instead of trade-offs, in areas such as carbon and carbon dynamics. 

Collaborative Initiatives and synergies with existing related strategies, projects, programmes and groups, eg, ACRES, LIFE, Community-led, etc 

Communities for Breeding Waders, European Innovation Partnerships rely on knowledge dissemination, fostering communication and networking across a wide range of stakeholders including farmers, advisors, researchers and policymakers throughout the lifetime of the project 9 This EIP will also incorporate school’s programmes, training, workshops, conferences, media etc to create awareness and fulfil this integral theme. possibilities for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, a Breeding Wader Champions network and funding/training for local Breeding Wader initiatives will all be investigated. 

Collaborative Initiatives and synergies with existing related strategies, projects, programmes and groups, eg, ACRES, LIFE, Community-led, etc 

Conservation Science, Research & Innovation, bolstered by robust data collection and verification. Precise refinement of breeding wader hot spots and subsequent protection of these breeding wader hotspots using innovative methods in areas of collaboration, outreach, PRM, LMA, etc. The project will utilise collated data, to inform the operation of the scheme and to make the essential learnings from that data accessible for the development of policy in relation to protected sites, QI’s, PAF, CAP, etc. Collated data will be used in an applied manner and will continually scrutinise the efficacy of project actions. All data will be handled professionally, in accordance with GDPR, and will be considered the property of both NPWS and DAFM. Research will be conducted in areas of genetics and population modelling, invertebrate populations and biomass, predation risk management and policy. 

Strategic Actions and Support the project management team will enable and support the functioning of the Steering Group, allowing for the development of a knowledge exchange forum and associated thematic groups. The Steering Group guided by the collected and collated project data, will help to inform decision-making with the available fund for strategic and capital investment. The EIP’s on-the-ground actions including the refinement of WAZ’s, its network of participants and community outreach will prove invaluable in ensuring that any capital investment is justified and ultimately of benefit to Breeding Waders. The project team is fully committed to providing all strategic, acquired knowledge to inform decision-making in relation to investment but are aware that ultimately this fund is controlled by the stakeholders, NPWS & DAFM. The Project management will ensure that strategic actions underpin areas such as training and capacity building, budgeting and finance as well as science-based activities such as surveying and the creation of Species Specific Action Plans.