Major Irish landowners NPWS and Coillte agree deal to deliver for nature and biodiversity

NPWS and Coillte have signed a memorandum of understanding around management of their estates

Two of Ireland's biggest landowners have agreed a deal around managing their estates to better deliver for nature and biodiversity. Between them, the National Parks & Wildlife Service and Coillte are responsible for over half a million hectares of countryside, some of which has shared borders.

For the NPWS, this includes 87,000 hectares across eight national parks, 74 nature reserves and other state lands, while Coillte has 440,000 hectares of woodland, 90,000 of which is currently managed for nature.

This landmark deal, which has been described as a "step change between the two organisations", aims to enhance, protect and restore ecosystems like raised and blanket bog, heaths and wetlands, lakes and rivers for threatened species.

READ MORE: Irish forests emitting more greenhouse gases than they're storing - CCAC

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The new Memorandum of Understanding signed by NPWS and Coillte also includes "forest redesign and peatland restoration" through site specific action plans starting with Slieve Bloom and focusing on Special Areas of Conservation and vulnerable key species like the hen harrier and Freshwater Pearl Mussel.

Nature Minister Malcolm Noonan said the deal brings "two of the largest landowners in the country, [together] to address shared challenges and maximise shared opportunities".

He added: "I have long been of the view that reversing biodiversity loss is not the sole responsibility of any one organisation; we need a whole of government, whole of society approach. That is why this strategic alliance is so important. I’m particularly pleased the first project... will be to protect the Hen Harrier in the Slieve Blooms."

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett added that it "will ultimately prove to be a very positive step for the enhancement of our natural environment".

"Given the scale of their respective land banks and expertise, as well as the impending introduction of the Nature Restoration Law, closer collaboration between these two State agencies is a really welcome move."

NPWS director general Niall Ó Donnchú said they are "delighted to enter this Memorandum of Understanding... as it is a portal to significant future projects and cooperation for nature and, in particular, in relation to Hen Harrier conservation, peatlands’ restoration and wetlands initiatives."

Coillte CEO Imelda Hurley said the move, which will "significantly deepen its collaboration with NPWS... aligns perfectly with our own strategic ambitions to balance and deliver the multiple benefits of forests for climate, nature, wood and people". She added that they are aiming to increase the area of their estate managed primarily for nature to 30 per cent by 2030 and half in the long-term "while "continuing to supply sustainably grown Irish wood".

How we use our land has major implications for wildlife, ecosystems and biodiversity loss but it also impacts the government's net-zero climate targets as land use and land use change account for 9.3 per cent of national emissions.

The Irish Mirror reported last year how Coillte was still clear felling forest planted on peatlands decades ago and replanting the land with new saplings despite this making them source of carbon pollution rather than the carbon sink they would be if ecologically intact.

The Climate Change Advisory Panel also warned recently that Irish forests are emitting more greenhouse gases than they're storing because swathes of national forest are being harvested while afforestation rates have been too slow to balance their loss. The Government has also faced calls to remove livestock and tackle deer numbers in National Parks where they are impacting ecosystems by eating new native growth.

The Department for Housing said: "Grazing Licences allow some farmers to continue to graze livestock in national parks... in the context of protecting nature, managing habitats, supporting species diversity, preventing scrub encroachment and farming for nature. There are currently no plans to remove sheep and cattle from Ireland’s National Parks. NPWS continues to monitor grazing activity across all Parks to assess its impact to ecosystems."

While the MoU between Coillte and NPWS kicks off with the Slieve Bloom Nature Project to support hen harrier, merlin and other birds, it has been described as the start of a conversation that could lead to broader outcomes across the 527,000 hectares they manage.

The formal plans for the management of Ireland's National Parks are expected by the end of this year.

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