DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has launched a ten-year strategy to halt the decline of Northern Ireland’s seabird populations, which have dropped by over 60 per cent in the last two decades. The Northern Ireland Seabird Conservation Strategy 2026-2035 sets out a coordinated response to protect 30 priority species facing unprecedented pressures from climate change, food shortages, invasive species and avian influenza.
The Strategy was unveiled at the RSPB West Light Seabird Centre on Rathlin Island, where Muir received an update on conservation efforts. It aims to strengthen monitoring, restore habitats and reduce pressures both at sea and on land. The framework follows a 12-week public consultation that closed in December 2024 and comes as conservationists celebrate the return of Manx shearwaters to Rathlin after a 20-year absence, thanks to a world-first project eradicating invasive ferrets.
A Ten-Year Framework for 30 Priority Species
The Strategy covers 30 priority species of seabird that frequently occur in Northern Ireland waters, including breeding species and wintering waterbirds. Running from 2026 to 2035, it establishes a framework for action spanning:
- Strengthening protection and monitoring programmes
- Restoring critical habitats on land and at sea
- Reducing pressures from human activities and environmental change
- Improving resilience against emerging threats such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
The document was developed through a “co-design” approach involving NGOs, the marine industry and the fisheries sector. It aligns with similar strategies recently published for England, Scotland and Wales, creating a UK-wide approach to seabird recovery.
The Rathlin Island Success Story
Minister Muir chose Rathlin Island for the launch to highlight the transformative potential of targeted conservation action. The island is now officially ferret-free following the completion of the LIFE Raft (Rathlin Acting for Tomorrow) project in March 2026—a world-first eradication of feral ferrets from an inhabited island.
The £4.5 million partnership, established in 2021, has already produced measurable results: Manx shearwaters are breeding on Rathlin again after a two-decade absence, and the seabird colony of over 250,000 birds—including puffins, razorbills and guillemots—can now nest without predation from the non-native ferrets introduced in the 1980s.
The project represents a collaboration between RSPB NI, the Rathlin Development & Community Association, Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust, Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and DAERA. Funding came from the EU LIFE Programme, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation and DAERA.
Minister and Conservation Leaders Welcome Milestone
Speaking at the launch, Minister Muir emphasised the urgency of the situation:
“Northern Ireland’s coastlines and waters are home to many internationally significant and much loved seabirds, such as the puffin, gannet and razorbill. They are a wonderful part of our natural world, but they are under unprecedented pressure, impacted by food shortages, invasive species, climate change and devastation through Avian Influenza.
“Action is needed to halt the further decline of seabirds, improve resilience and make steps towards recovery. We can take hope from the work of the LIFE Raft project here on Rathlin which is a truly inspiring nature restoration project led by RSPB NI, with support from the Rathlin Development Community Association and other partners. This will have a transformative impact on the fortunes of seabirds and has already led to the return of Manx shearwaters after a 20-year absence.
“This Strategy sets out the actions that will be undertaken to protect and restore these important species over the next decade. We developed it with NGOs and the marine and fisheries industry, and now we must continue working together to deliver it.”
Joanne Sherwood, RSPB NI Director, welcomed the Strategy while highlighting the scale of the challenge:
“Northern Ireland’s first Seabird Conservation Strategy is a welcome milestone, and the first step in delivering at the scale which is now urgently needed. Seabird populations have declined by over 60% in the last two decades, so this strategy must be properly resourced to turn ambition into action.
“RSPB NI is already working with partners to restore seabird populations, strengthen biosecurity on islands where seabirds breed, and protect key species, all supported by research to better understand and safeguard vital marine habitats. We’re delighted to be here at the RSPB NI West Light Seabird Centre today, and look forward to working with DAERA and partners to drive this vital Strategy forward to secure a better future for seabirds.”
Gaps and Unanswered Questions
Whilst the Strategy establishes a welcome policy framework, several critical details remain unclear from the announcement:
- Funding commitments: Though the LIFE Raft project attracted £4.5 million in external funding, the Strategy document does not specify dedicated budget allocations for its ten-year implementation, relying instead on “partnership working” across sectors.
- Enforcement mechanisms: The Strategy mentions reducing pressures at sea but does not detail how this will interact with existing fisheries management or whether new regulatory powers will be sought.
- Avian influenza response: Whilst Minister Muir cited the “devastation” caused by bird flu, the announcement lacks specific measures for disease surveillance or biosecurity protocols beyond general resilience-building.
- Measurable targets: No specific population recovery targets or annual monitoring milestones were announced, making it difficult to assess progress toward the broad aim of halting decline.
Context and Critique
The launch places Northern Ireland alongside Wales, which published its own Seabird Conservation Strategy in January 2026, and other UK administrations in recognising the crisis facing marine birds. The timing is significant: the JNCC’s Seabirds Count census revealed that 11 of 21 seabird species across the UK and Ireland are in decline, with some Northern Ireland populations experiencing losses exceeding 70 per cent.
The Rathlin ferret eradication demonstrates that intensive, well-funded intervention can yield rapid results. However, the Strategy’s reliance on voluntary partnership working may prove insufficient for addressing systemic threats such as offshore energy development, fishing bycatch, and climate-driven food shortages—issues that may require statutory backing rather than collaborative goodwill.
Notably, the Strategy follows a 12-week public consultation that closed on 16 December 2024, though the synopsis of responses has yet to be published at the time of launch.
Questions for Stakeholders
- What specific funding mechanisms will be established to ensure the Strategy’s objectives are met, given the £4.5 million LIFE Raft project required external EU funding that may not be available for future initiatives?
- How will the Strategy address the ongoing threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which Minister Muir identified as causing “devastation” to seabird populations?
- What measurable population targets will be set to judge the Strategy’s success by 2035, and how will annual progress be transparently reported?
- Will the Strategy lead to new Marine Protected Area designations or enhanced statutory fisheries management plans to address the food shortages cited as a key pressure?
- How will DAERA ensure that the “co-design” approach with industry translates into binding commitments rather than voluntary measures that may be deprioritised during economic pressures?
What Happens Next
The Strategy’s success will ultimately depend on whether it attracts the “proper resourcing” that RSPB NI has demanded. Implementation will require sustained investment in monitoring programmes, continued biosecurity measures on breeding islands, and potentially difficult decisions regarding marine spatial planning and fisheries management.
Conservationists will be watching for the publication of the consultation synopsis, promised for the consultation page, to gauge whether public feedback has strengthened the final document. They will also monitor progress on the ongoing rat eradication programme on Rathlin, which remains incomplete despite the ferret success.
With seabirds serving as vital indicators of marine ecosystem health, their recovery—or continued decline—will signal whether Northern Ireland can effectively balance environmental protection with economic pressures over the coming decade.