Category Archives for "All News"

PRESS RELEASE Environmental Groups enraged as Minister Madigan uses conservation plan to push for damaging forestry in protected sites. 17th October 2018 Environmental Groups call on Minister Josepha Madigan and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to retract new proposals to allow forestry in European protected sites. The Minister’s proposals are part of […]

IWT Communications and Administration Internship Opportunity The Irish Wildlife Trust is seeking to recruit an intern with enthusiasm for the protection of Irish wildlife to help in our office in Dublin. The purpose of this role will be to support important areas such as Office Administration, Communications and Event planning/management. It is a great opportunity […]

Irish Wildlife Trust submission to Budget 2018 Download the submission here as pdf PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust budget submission highlights chronic underfunding for conservation in the face of worsening extinction crisis   The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has written to Minister for Finance Paschal Donoghue calling for greater public spending on conservation in Budget […]

PRESS RELEASE – The River Bandon Flood Scheme; is so much destruction necessary? 17th September 2018 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling on the Office of Public Works to adopt more nature-friendly means for alleviating flooding following the destruction of a section of the River Bandon in Co. Cork over the past 18 months. […]

Better protection for sharks needed as Spanish boat detained on suspicion of illegally shark finning in Irish waters   The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has written to Ministers Michael Creed (Agriculture, Food and the Marine) and Josepha Madigan (Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht) appealing for them to strengthen protections for sharks and other threatened marine […]

PRESS RELEASE: Latest Fine Gael marketing campaign cannot mask their appalling environmental record Fine Gael yesterday (20/8/18) launched their latest marketing initiative entitled ‘Green Week’ stating “This week, Fine Gael is going green. We are raising awareness about how you can be greener, what supports are available to you and why we need your help to tackle […]

PRESS RELEASE: Passing of the Heritage Bill highlights unhealthy relationship between government and lobbyists The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is disappointed at the passing into law of the poorly named Heritage Bill and we would like to pay tribute to all who campaigned to have it scrapped – including members of the public and politicians […]

Trips to Ireland’s Eye June 2018 For the eighth year in a row, the IWT Dublin branch organised two trips to Ireland’s Eye this June. As in previous years, both outings were fully booked up and on both occasions participants fully appreciated the charm of this unique little island north of Howth Harbour. Fortunately, the […]

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust calls for all trawling to be prohibited within the coastal zone   The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has made a submission to the public consultation on Minister Michael Creed’s (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) review of trawling activity inside the 6 nautical mile zone. In our submission we […]

New report from Irish Wildlife Trust highlights government failure in protecting our seas The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is urging the government to get on with the task of establishing a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – something which it is required to deliver by 2020 but where little progress has been made to […]

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is looking for your views on trawling within the 6 nautical mile coastal zone. The IWT would like to see all trawling banned in this area and is encouraging everybody who cares for our seas to make their views known. We have prepared a sample template and […]

Environmental groups slam Heritage Bill roll back of Irish nature laws     A coalition of environmental NGOs and concerned citizens will rally outside Leinster House today to call on the Government to halt the roll back of Ireland’s nature laws proposed in the Heritage Bill. BirdWatch Ireland, the Irish Wildlife Trust, An Taisce, the […]

On Saturday we were hosted by the Blessington Tidy Town group to hold a very successful talk on bees and pollination and outdoor workshop on bee monitoring and identification.   April has seen some spring weather arrive at long last, bringing some growth for our wildlife. It has also marked the beginning of this year’s […]

PRESS RELEASE: Increasing pesticide use presents a threat to wildlife and human health New figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that pesticide use in Ireland continues to increase, amounting to 3,135 tonnes of active ingredient in 2016 [1]. This is an increase of 14 tonnes on the previous year, and […]

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust calls for payments to be made to farmers for not farming Date: 23rd March 2018 As part of our submission to the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling on the government to support the ‘rewilding’ of land in certain areas by paying […]

The public has until the 23rd of March 2018 to highlight their priorities for the reformed CAP scheme post-2020. The Irish Wildlife Trust is asking members of the public to engage with this important process and to particularly highlight the need to protect the environment and biodiversity in any reformed plan. A submission form can […]

Your garden can save lives During cold snaps, you will almost certainly notice more birds coming into your garden to seek sanctuary from the harsher environment in the countryside – particularly if you provide food on a regular basis. The variety of species may increase too and you may be lucky enough to attract unusual […]

JOINT PRESS RELEASE:  BirdWatch Ireland, Federation of Irish Beekeepers Associations, Irish Wildlife Trust, Hedgelaying Association of Ireland, An Taisce. The Beast from the East slows spring but ban on hedgecutting and burning starts today Although the “Beast from the East” is doing its utmost to suggest otherwise, 1st March is the first day of spring. […]

Press Release: IWT calls for better legal protection for marine life 05 February 2018 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling for full legal protection for selected marine fish and invertebrates in a newly released report, entitled ‘Protecting Our Ocean’s Wealth – a proposal for legal protection of threatened marine species’. The protection of wildlife […]

IWT welcomes overdue change in strategy in the fight against TB in cattle Following the announcement today by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Michael Creed, that vaccination of badgers is to become an ‘integral part’ of the plan to eradicate TB in cattle[1], the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) would like to […]

IWT calls on MEPs to oppose industrial-scale electrocution of marine life Next week MEPs will be asked to vote on a European Commission proposal to allow so-called ‘electric pulse fishing’ to become a normal fishing practice across the EU. This practice involves dragging an electrified net across the sea floor – stunning all in its […]

Groundwork complains to the European Commission for lack of management at Killarney National Park Groundwork has made a formal complaint to the European Commission that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Department of Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht (DCHG) have failed to protect the Oak woods in Killarney National Park from becoming re-infested […]

Radical action needed to save our seas This week sees the annual carve up of commercial fish populations by the countries of the European Union. Ireland will be represented by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed. A report by the New Economics Foundation found that last year Minister Creed was among the […]

Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the expansion of Ballycroy National Park The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) warmly welcomes the announcement by the new Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, that Ballycroy National Park in Co. Mayo is to be significantly expanded. This creates an enormous opportunity to enhance habitats for wild plants and […]

Re: Submission on final proposals for fishing opportunities for 2018 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is an Irish non-profit organisation concerned with the conservation of Ireland’s biodiversity. As an island nation our marine and fisheries resource is a vital component of our natural and cultural heritage. Its sustainable use is therefore an essential element in […]

Irish Wildlife Trust calls on European Parliament Fisheries Committee to prohibit industrial electrofishing Tomorrow (Tuesday November 21st) the European Parliament fisheries committee is to decide whether to allow so-called ‘electric pulse’ fishing to be considered ‘conventional’, a move which would allow Member States to licence it like any other type of fishing. ‘Pulse fishing’ is another […]

Shark Attack Last September a member of the public sent us this image of a critically endangered porbeagle shark at the fishmongers counter in Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt in Dublin. This, in itself, is not illegal however it is illegal to target the species or land it. We understand that no money changed hands at any […]

Irish Wildlife Trust calls on Minister Michael Creed to end destructive ‘pair-trawling’ in coastal waters The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is once again receiving reports from the south-west that destructive ‘pair trawling’ is underway in shallow bays and inlets. Pair-trawling is the practice whereby two boats drag a single net, effectively sieving all marine life […]

Time to scrap ‘Origin Green’ as certified companies found to be among the country’s worst polluters The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling on the government to scrap its ‘Origin Green’ certification programme as it has transpired that some of the country’s worst polluters are among those certified by the scheme. In its quarterly ‘name […]

IWT condemns Athlone Municipal District Council’s call for Pine Marten cull The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) condemns the call by Athlone Municipal District Council to de-list the Pine Marten as a protected species. The Pine Marten is a cat-sized carnivore which feeds predominantly on berries and invertebrates. Having been nearly wiped out during the 20th century, […]