The NPWS and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have provided the first report on the progress of the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan. This plan, established on the 10th of September 2024, aimed to reverse the decline in hen harrier numbers by implementing methods to prevent, reduce and reverse threats to the population and improve the status of their numbers in Ireland.
Hen harriers are a declining raptor species which breed in bog and upland areas. They have been affected by habitat loss, disturbance and climate change which has seen a large reduction in their population. It was reported in the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan that as of 2007, the Hen Harrier population of five SPAs showed a decline of 20 to 80%.
The Annual Implementation Report 2025 describes the progress made by the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan since its establishment in 2024 to June 2025. This report was provided by the NPWS and published by Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan. One key finding of this report indicated that during the first year of the plan there was more data sharing and collaboration across different organisations which aided research. There has been an increase in the partnership between the NPWS and Coillte in the Slieve Bloom mountains which has helped to move conservation forward. There is more breeding data available and increased predator management thanks to the monitoring efforts under the threat response plan. The Slieve Bloom Mountains, an important Hen Harrier SPA, was the main site used to test conservation methods under the threat response plan. This will help inform conservation management in other Hen Harrier SPAs.
Scattery Island is another key stronghold for these birds which may help inform how conservation methods could be implemented on the mainland. Our ornithologists recently went on a field trip to Scattery island to observe the large hen harrier population present. Five percent of the Irish population of hen harrier are found on Scattery island and it is an area of national importance for these birds. In 2026 the Strategy for Hen Harrier on Scattery Island was published by the NPWS to help conserve the birds there by implementing objectives to conserve the hen harrier population. The findings of this strategy could help inform the progress of the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan across Ireland.
Areas for increased focus for 2026 were also identified in the Annual Implementation Report such as: further annual monitoring of the breeding population in SPAs, further data sharing between authorities and the progression of forestry removal in the Slieve Bloom mountains in collaboration with Coillte.
In mid-2026, the progress of the hen harrier threat response plan will be reviewed again and a new report on its results will be published.