The survival of a rare colony of kittiwakes in Dunmore East, Co Waterford, is threatened by works to be undertaken by the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources, conservationists claim.
Planning permission for cliff stabilisation measures at the inner harbour is being sought from Waterford County Council, and a decision is due before the end of the month.
The Department says work will be carried out with due regard to the visual environment and the need to protect the kittiwakes, with advice sought from Birdwatch Ireland, Duchas and the Heritage Service.
Environmentalists living in the area say the colony is unique because the kittiwake, a small oceanic gull, normally nests on inaccessible ledges on precipitous cliffs, out of sight of humans, whereas in Dunmore East they nest on cliffs adjoining the pier.
Mr Declan McGrath, who has been studying the kittiwake for several years, says up to 221 pairs nest on the cliffs, and the development works could obliterate about 100 of the ledges used in the past.
The works at Dock Road, where the kittiwakes breed, include plans for a 14.5m-high concrete wall with a double layer of chicken wire at either side, coated with gunite, to prevent people climbing up the cliff. Two ledges and 12 holes in the concrete wall are to be provided for the kittiwakes.
Mr McGrath, however, says there is no guarantee the birds will use the ledges and they do not usually nest in holes. If the works are undertaken outside the mid-August to November period, when the gulls are absent from the cliffs, they may abandon the colony.
"These cliffs occupy a prominent and public location in the harbour, and the nesting kittiwakes are a valuable amenity and an educational resource enjoyed by locals and the many visitors to Dunmore East," he said.
"The birds have also been well studied for scientific purposes, and unless it can be proved conclusively that the cliffs are unsafe and a potential hazard then they should not be interfered with. Even if the works are shown to be necessary, then something other than that which is proposed should be designed, which will be less obtrusive visually and will result in as many if not more birds nesting there."
Mr David Sutton, a conservationist living in Dunmore East, is also critical of the plans and says there is no indication that alternative measures were considered.
However, Mr Tom Vaughan, a divisional engineer with the Department, says the works are necessary as erosion has brought the cliff edge to within a couple of feet of a public road.
A contractor has been hired subject to planning permission, he said, and the intention was not to begin work until the optimum time from the point of view of protecting the kittiwake.
Mr Vaughan's advice is that the bird will not be absent from the area until the end of October.
"We're acting on the advice of consulting engineers and have been trying to consult as many people as we can, to be as sensitive as we can and to keep the work as minimalist as possible," he said.