The Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan (HHTRP) is a "litmus test" for the government's commitment to the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), according to Irish environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO), Environmental Pillar.

The Environmental Pillar consists of 32 national, independent non-governmental agencies who collaborate together to advocate on environmental issues.

Its work ranges from habitat conservation; environmental lobbying and campaigning; sustainability consultancy and wildlife preservation.

In a letter to the Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcom Noonan, the group called for a conservation plan designed in accordance with the EU's NRL to safeguard against the bird's demise.

The NRL assigns legally binding targets on member states "to restore degraded ecosystems, in particular those with the most potential to capture and store carbon, and to prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters".

It represents a key component of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which was adopted as part of the European Green Deal in 2022 and seeks to enhance wildlife and respective habitats outlined in the Habitats and Birds Directives.

Fintan Kelly, agriculture and land use policy and advocacy officer with the Environmental Pillar, said: “If we are serious about protecting and restoring biodiversity, then putting in place a credible and workable plan to safeguard a threatened iconic species and restore the habitats it depends on is not only essential, but is also an important first step in wider nature restoration.

The Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan was spearheaded by the National Parks and Wildlife Services in conjunction with multiple departments to address the country's declining population.

The plan was approved by cabinet last week following a public consultation earlier this year, but has yet to published.

However, according to the Environmental Pillar, all previous drafts of the plan "have been been insufficiently ambitious and targeted enough to set the species on the way to recovery".

The threat of extinction was made evident in the 2022 National Hen Harrier Survey, which concluded that there were only 85 to 106 breeding pairs left in the wild - a 21% drop from the 2015 survey results.

The organisation believes that a hen harrier action plan aligned with the NRL would help mitigate the existential threat, while also forming a basis for Ireland's NRL.

In particular, the Environmental Pillar is calling for the legal obligations defined in Article 4 of the NRL to be delivered.

"Committing public lands for nature restoration and conservation will be key in delivering a national plan for nature restoration," the Environmental Pillar stated.

Considering the hen harrier nests in wetland and upland terrain, the group recommends the restoration of afforested peatlands within Coillte's portfolio, which will enhance the ground nesting bird's habitat, while also advancing climate and water quality in the region.

The Environmental Pillar claims that such an approach would fulfil obligations set out in the HHTRP as well as those encapsulated in the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and the National Land Use review.

"Reforming the outdated commercial mandates of these public bodies is a rational first step to unlocking the potential of public land for nature, climate and community," Kelly added.