A conservation project to save Corncrakes in Ireland is to be officially launched in Donegal today.
The project is about working with communities, landowners and farmers to save the iconic corncrake from disappearing.
The Corncrake LIFE project will hold its official project launch at the Óstán Loch Altan, Gortahork this Friday morning.
The project is working towards saving the last of Ireland’s corncrakes by bringing together landowners, farmers and local communities.
The corncrake is one of the country’s most iconic bird species, but they have declined by around 90% in the last forty years.
A rapid shift towards intensive agriculture has wiped the birds out and they are now only found in the west and northwest and are largely confined to the Gaeltacht regions.
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.
