Irish Wildlife Trust calls for urgent action over misleading Sitka spruce forestry materials in schools IWT Press Release 21 April 2026 The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling for immediate action from the Department of Education and Youth to address and revise misleading messaging presented to primary school children by the Society of Irish Foresters, […]
Nature Connection: winning entries of the members-only writing competition First published: 17 February 2026 A growing body of scientific studies show that we benefit physically, mentally, and socially from nature connection. Unfortunately, a recent analysis of 61 countries found Ireland to be one of the least nature-connected nations in the world. We must restore not […]
Call to action: Prohibit destructive tangle nets to protect endangered Irish species Published online 13/2/2026 Grace Carr Call to action – Write to the Minister asking him to prohibit the use of tangle nets to prevent the extinction of critically endangered shark and ray species Thousands of endangered and critically endangered species are […]
Places to Connect: Vale of Clara Nature Reserve, Co. Wicklow By Kieran Flood, IWT CEO First published online: 21 January 2026 In this new series of articles, we will share recommendations of nature reserves and wild areas where you can go to connect with nature. Spending time outdoors in wild, functioning ecosystems allows us to […]
Committee on Marine Protected Areas First published online: 21 January 2026 Grace Carr, Marine Advocacy Officer On Tuesday 13 January we attended the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. An Oireachtas committee is a group of TDs and Senators from all political parties that have responsibility to scrutinise and advise on particular […]
IWT New Year Plant Hunts with BSBI By Charlotte Salter-Townshend, IWT Communications & Network Officer First published online: 07 January 2026 Warmer winters may be changing the flowering times of plants, with a domino effect on all forms of wildlife. Since 2011, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) have collated data on what’s […]
We’re hiring a Nature Advocacy Officer Job Title: Nature Advocacy Officer Organisation: The Irish Wildlife Trust Location: Coleraine House, Coleraine Street, Dublin 7, Ireland (hybrid working supported) Hours: This is a full time 5 day week post Salary Rate: €32 – 40,000 per year (rate determined by level of professional experience) Contract Type: 2 year […]
Nature Advocacy and Policy: 2025 in review First published: 23/12/2025 2025 has been a difficult year for environmental issues. Pressures are appearing from all sides and there have been many disappointing blows to contend with. Those in power nationally and internationally don’t seem to have safeguarding the environment on their agendas and deregulation […]
Reflecting on 2025: Hope in the Wild First published online: 19 December 2025 Two strong themes of our work at IWT are Connection with Nature and Hope through Action. This year we have been busy progressing our strategy in line with these themes through the three interconnected pillars of our work; Advocacy for Nature, Building […]
Article 17 Report 2025 By Grace Carr, IWT Marine Advocacy Officer First published online: 12 December 2025 2025’s Article 17 report results are as clear as day. Nature is declining in Ireland. The State needs to properly fund and support nature restoration. Every 6 years countries in the EU have to report on the state […]
IWT Members-Only Nature Writing Competition To thank our members (and perhaps attract a few new ones!) we are delighted to announce a members-only Nature Connection writing competition. First Place wins an eco stay at Native Ballydehob, in the wilds of West Cork. A growing body of scientific studies show that we benefit physically, mentally, […]
Support the Bill to Ban Fox Hunting in Ireland By Charlotte Salter-Townshend, IWT Communications & Network Officer First published online: 04 December 2025 Background and Timeline Fox hunting emerged as a topic during the presidential election debates. Most people were aghast at the description of this brutality as a “rural pursuit”. Ireland is now an […]
Commission highlights the need for fairer quota sharing across Member States Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy states that quotas should be allocated in a fair and transparent manner taking into account social, environmental and economic criteria. Incentives should also be given for the use of more environmentally friendly fishing gear. This all […]
Disappointing outcome at COP30 COP30 came to its conclusion and it was a sobering and stark reminder of the huge issues happening within the UN Climate Change Conference process. The final text which was agreed had NO reference to fossil fuels. No mention of oil, gas or coal, the biggest cause of climate change. The […]
Press Release 26th November 2025 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes good news for the Glen The Irish Wildlife Trust has welcomed the news that the National Parks and Wildlife Service have purchased 100 acres of forestry land beside the Glen of the Downs nature reserve. IWT Chief Executive, Kieran Flood commented, “It is very encouraging to […]
Commission Guidance on Fishing in Natura 2000 sites and what Ireland is currently doing New Commission guidance has been released to clarify issues around fishing activity in protected Natura 2000 sites. There are no new recommendations, the purpose of the document is to provide guidance to EU Member States on how to apply […]
Our nature is under attack. The European laws that have been safeguarding our forests, rivers, wildlife and clean air are being quietly dismantled – under the false promise of “simplification”. But what’s really being simplified is the path for those who want to profit from nature at everyone’s expense. The European Commission quietly launched a […]
The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the announcement of large vessel trawling restrictions in Ireland’s 6nm zone IWT Press Release 22rd July 2025 The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the announcement made today on the long overdue 6 nautical mile (nm) trawling ban. It has been announced that from the 1st of October 2026, trawling by […]
Report from The Third UN Ocean Conference The IWT is dedicated to advocating for the protection and restoration of our marine life. To this end, we attended the recent UN Ocean Conference to monitor the proceedings and campaign for urgent marine protection actions from the Irish government and the EU. Below is a report from […]
Press release 06th June 2025 The Irish Wildlife Trust calls for progress at Third United Nations Ocean Conference The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling on the Irish Government to take the opportunity of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference to announce the long awaited national MPA Bill with ambitious measures to effectively protect […]
IWT Members Only Competition – Goat Boat Tour To thank our loyal members, we’re thrilled to announce a fantastic members-only competition: 9 lucky IWT members will win a free spot on an exclusive Irish Sea Wildlife Tour! This special tour, run by Goat Boat tours – a passionate local business dedicated to marine wildlife, coastal […]
The Irish Wildlife Trust is evolving and with it, our visual identity is changing too. After months of thoughtful planning, we’re excited to introduce our refreshed look: a new logo and colour palette that better reflect who we are today, the breadth of our work, and our bold vision for nature restoration in Ireland. Since […]
We’re hiring a Communications & Network Officer Download job ad here Job Title: Communications & Network Officer Organisation: The Irish Wildlife Trust Location: Coleraine House, Coleraine Street, Dublin 7, Ireland (hybrid working supported) Hours: This is a full time 5 day week post Salary Rate: €30-35,000 per year (rate determined by level of experience) Start […]
Press Release 20th March 2025 The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling for the Irish Government to submit their overdue national roadmap for phasing out destructive fishing in Marine Protected Areas. A new study released today by Seas at Risk, Oceana and ClientEarth, environmental NGOs working on marine conservation issues, shows that, despite EU nature […]
The EU Ocean Pact was proposed by the European Commission and aims to bring coherence across any EU policies which are linked to the ocean. Some of the goals of the pact are to achieve healthy, resilient and thriving oceans and coastal communities and to promote a successful and sustainable blue economy. At […]
Press release Date: 23rd January 2025 Irish Wildlife Trust calls on an Taoiseach, Michaél Martin, to show leadership for nature and treat the climate and biodiversity crises as the emergencies they are. The Irish Wildlife Trust looks forward to engaging with new Government Ministers on environmental issues and calls for the reinstatement of […]
Citizens’ Assembly Ideas 2023 saw the publication of the “Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss”. Many impactful solutions to biodiversity loss are found within the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly. It is vital that the Government of Ireland act on these recommendations. This series of articles explores ideas found within the Citizens’ Assembly […]
Nature Advocacy & Policy – A Look Back on 2024 Published 19th December 2024 By Grace Carr Overall, 2024 has been a disappointing year for nature conservation. We haven’t seen the ambitious change that is needed to tackle both the biodiversity and climate crisis. New political climates at EU level have brought new challenges […]
Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Nature Wins and Community Action Written by Emily Nolan Published 19th December 2024 As we close the chapter on 2024, it’s clear that this has been a standout year for the Irish Wildlife Trust. In a time of growing environmental challenges and occasional political uncertainty, we’ve come together […]
Talks at COP16 in Colombia suspended without decision on financing Press Release 02nd Novmeber 2024 After an intense 2 weeks of negotiations at COP16, talks have been suspended at the final hurdle around the topic of resource mobilisation and financing. Talks carried on through the final night of the conference and were suspended […]
