Could this be a super year? Yesterday (May 14th) marked the first full day of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, nearly three years since the idea was first mooted on the very same day the Dáil declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. Hardly an emergency response but a welcome development all the same. 100 […]
PRESS RELEASE: The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes report adopted by the European Parliament calling for urgent action on bottom-contacting fishing gear, but questions why majority of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) would not support a ban on bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted an Own Initiative Report […]
Press Release 4th May 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust warmly welcomes reform of nature conservation in Ireland The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the announcement that cabinet has signed off on reform of governance structures for nature conservation in Ireland. An independent review into the National Parks and Wildlife Service last year found fundamental weaknesses […]
Is this progress? I had a dream that I was listing to Claire Byrne’s RTÉ radio show every day this week where she interviewed politicians from across the spectrum on the imminent extinction of curlews in Ireland. I imagined I heard Fine Gael’s Patrick O’Donovan list all the townlands in his constituency where curlews could […]
Real Marine Protected Areas are within the EU’s grasp An important vote on the Initiative Report of MEP Isabel Carvalhais “Toward a sustainable blue economy in the EU: the role of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors”, is taking place in the European Parliament on May 3rd. MEPs will have the chance to vote on prohibiting […]
Species in Focus: Dandelions At this point in the year, I’d imagine anyone who likes a manicured lawn is sick of seeing a certain stubborn yellow flower pop up all over their grass. However dandelions are a valuable native wildflower and have much to offer wildlife and us. Dandelions are useful and industrious plants that […]
PRESS RELEASE 26th April 2022 Peat needs to stay in the ground The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling for the government to act to keep all turf in the ground where it belongs. After weeks of acrimony over a proposed ban on the sale of turf (along with wet wood and smoky coal) it […]
Doing Nothing on the Bogs It’s nearly a decade since I travelled to Glenveagh in Donegal to look at what I had been told was widespread illegality and habitat destruction inside the eponymous National Park. I found the accusations hard to believe at the time, given the high profile of the Park but there it […]
There are many animals in Ireland that are under threat from various sources, and the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is catching it from all sides. Freshwater pearl mussels, like the saltwater mussels we eat, are bivalves. Bivalves are molluscs with soft bodies protected by a hinged shell which can open and close as they […]
PRESS RELEASE 5th April 2022 Wildart 2022 – Express your Creativity with the Irish Wildlife Trust WildArt Competition The Irish Wildlife Trust has launched the third edition of their children’s art competition WildArt. The competition will engage children in the wonders of local wildlife through the seasons. Children up to the age of 16 […]
Rewilding: winning hearts and minds I’ve never particularly liked the term ‘wilderness’. Although it is instantly evocative it carries so much colonialist baggage that I think it best avoided, regardless of whether you think it even exists or not (for background on this I can recommend this important essay by William Cronon). These days many […]
PRESS RELEASE 01st April 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes condemnation of illegal fires by Minister Malcolm Noonan but more must be done The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) strongly welcomes the robust condemnation of illegal fires by Minister of State for Heritage & Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan however a lot more needs to be done […]
Take Action for Wildlife: Don’t mow, let it grow! 1. Protect our dandelions. Hold off with that first cut of grass till late April to allow dandelions feed the bees until other flowers come into bloom. 2. When you do start cutting the grass manage your lawn in a nature friendly manner cutting […]
Press Release 25th March 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes appointment of chair to the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the appointment of Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin as chair of the forthcoming Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. This is a vitally important process which we hope will engage the people of Ireland […]
Water – what’s it to you? Where is your nearest water course? Mine is the River Tolka, a fairly short river that rises in farmland in Co. Meath only about 20km from where I live in Dublin. It is perhaps best known as the river that flows past the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin while […]
Species in Focus: Slow Worm Whoops, looks like Saint Patrick is slacking on the job! Or is he? Despite its scientific name meaning ‘fragile snake’, this slithery little reptile is actually a kind of legless lizard, called a slow worm (Anguis fragilis). You might be wondering what the difference between a legless lizard and a […]
Species in Focus: Common Frog At this time of year, plenty of animals are only just waking up and getting down to business after a long hibernation. The common frog (Rana temporaria) is one such animal. Common frogs are small amphibians that can be found all across Ireland, as long as there are suitable bodies […]
The Trouble with Turbines Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has placed a spotlight on Europe’s fossil fuel dependence. The war has come on top of already rising fuel prices that, as I write, are seeing petrol prices near €2 a litre. Coincidentally, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this week published its sixth […]
‘Fair Seas’ campaign launches to demand fifteen-fold increase in Ireland’s Marine Protected Areas The Irish Wildlife Trust is delighted to be a partner in the Fair Seas campaign launching today and calling for the protection of Ireland’s marine life through the creation of a network of ecologically coherent marine protected areas. Leading national environmental […]
PRESS RELEASE 15th February 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust calls for investigation into allegations of unlawful disturbance of protected species by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling for a full investigation into the background of a report in the Irish […]
Speed and Conviction Later this year, June to be precise, will mark the 30th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. It was a landmark event in the history of the environmental movement which resulted in the international treaties to end biodiversity loss and limit greenhouse gas emissions that remain the centrepieces of the global response […]
Lessons from Costa Rica Forestry continues to be a vexed issue in Ireland. While the forest owners, nurseries, sawmill owners and timber suppliers are mostly focussed on the immediate issues of getting licences for planting and felling, the bigger, and more important issue is the lack of new forest establishment. In fact, due to planned […]
PRESS RELEASE 20th January 2022 Burning in Wicklow Mountains National Park contrary to climate and biodiversity aims The Irish Wildlife Trust wants to express our opposition to the on-going burning of lands within the Wicklow Mountains National Park. See https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wicklow-Mountains-National-Park/261433833868972 Given the poor state of upland habitats, plus the emissions of smoke, water pollution […]
WWF and ‘Origin Green’ ‘Origin Green’, the Bord Bia (and so publicly) funded food marketing programme, started life in 2012. In that time annual greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (which had been on a downward trajectory) have risen by over 11%, from 19,284 to 21,432 kt CO₂ equivalent. According to the EPA, between their 2012-2014 […]
December 8th 2021 Irish Wildlife Trust submission to CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 Link to downloadable pdf of submission To Whom it May Concern, The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is a national, charitable, membership-based organisation which was established in 1979. Our goal is to raise awareness of our natural heritage and its benefits to people. We […]
On hen harriers and water quality Two programmes underway to address environmental issues show how change can be achieved, but also the challenge that lies ahead. Are we addressing the biodiversity emergency? Well, yes and no. There’s no question but that a slew of programmes and measures have been developed in the past five […]
PRESS RELEASE 12th November IWT welcomes acknowledgement of the biodiversity crisis and role of healthy ecosystems, including oceans, in the latest draft COP 26 text The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the prominence of nature in the latest draft of the COP text which appeared in Glasgow today (November 12th). The draft acknowledges in […]
Nature for sale? The COP is entering into its final days. Despite being labelled as a ‘now or never’ moment, the task of meaningfully addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency will remain with us after the delegates head home. No matter what the outcome it is important that momentum is maintained in the days and […]
Last chance? Or no chance? The Irish Wildlife Trust is attending the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. As a first-timer I have been overwhelmed by the enormity of the event. There’s the excitement at witnessing something of such global significance but a disorientation that is only lifting on day 4. World leaders and famous faces […]
Press Release 03rd November Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes announcement at COP26 to end deforestation – Ireland must move to address its own deforestation problem The Irish Wildlife Trust, which is attending the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, welcomes yesterday’s announcement by the UK hosts that over 100 countries have signed a pledge to end deforestation […]
