The Ulster Wildlife Trust has been the lead partner for the Irish hare Species Action Plan since 2001 and we take this role very seriously.

We can understand how people would therefore assume that we would push for legislative protection for the species during the review of the recent Wildlife Order consultation and would like to make our thoughts on this clear (Write Back, March 14).

Annual monitoring of the Irish hare population in Northern Ireland is ongoing and it is clear that the population fluctuates naturally over time, depending upon habitat conditions, food availability and weather patterns. The scientific evidence shows that our Irish hare population is not endangered at this time and as such we have recommended in the Wildlife Order consultation that full protection is not currently needed, but that the legislative protection be reviewed every five years.

This will allow for any long- term trends to be identified and relevant protection to be brought in if necessary.

The most effective way to protect and enhance the population of the Irish hare is through appropriate land management.

An action that we believe will make a real difference for the future of the Irish hare, and something that we were instrumental in securing, is the ‘Delayed cutting and grazing option’ in the new Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme, which will encourage farmers to manage their land specifically for the conservation of Irish hares.

We have worked with the likes of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and its members to introduce a voluntary moratorium on the shooting of hares.

The Ulster Wildlife Trust is concerned at present about the potential threat to the Irish hare posed by the non-native introduced European hare, from hybridisation and competition for habitat and food, and we have established a working group of experts to look into the issue.

The Ulster Wildlife Trust is committed to and active in the conservation of the Irish hare, our most iconic species endemic to the island of Ireland.

Andrew Upton

The Ulster Wildlife Trust