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, […]
PRESS RELEASE: IWT complains to the European Commission after 97 illegal wildfires recorded across Ireland in 2017 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has formally complained to the European Commission (EC) that the Irish government is failing in its duty under the Birds and Habitats Directives to protect threatened wildlife in our uplands and hills. The […]
PRESS RELEASE: Early signs of recovery in Irish Sea cod welcomed by IWT but it’s still too early for celebration The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes news that cod in the Irish sea is beginning to recover after decades of overfishing. Only last year the status of cod in this area was officially ‘collapsed’ while […]
PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust calls on public to contact TDs in support of hare coursing ban The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is fully behind the private members’ Bill brought forward by Maureen O’Sullivan to ban hare coursing in Ireland and is urging people to make their voices heard. The Irish hare is a […]
PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust calls on local authorities and members of the public to cut out herbicide use This summer, the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is urging the local authorities and members of the public to avoid the use of harmful herbicides and weed-killers, particularly on our roadsides. The casual use of noxious chemicals […]
PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust opposes new UNESCO status for Killarney National Park Since 1982 Killarney National Park has been a UNESCO ‘biosphere’ reserve which, according to the world body “promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use”[i]. In December last year the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) complained to UNESCO after we […]
Press Release: Illegal dumping and mechanical turf extraction again found in Glenveagh National Park The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has made a complaint to the EPA and Donegal County Council in relation to illegal dumping in Glenveagh National Park. Over the weekend a large quantity of builder’s rubble was found in a small woodland across the road […]
We are celebrating National Biodiversity Week from 19th to 28th May. All the events are free of charge and open to all. Join us at one of the events to explore the outdoors and learn about our fantastic biodiversiy. National Biodiversity Week Events 20 May: Miniature Wildlife in the National Botanic Garden – Co Dublin […]
PRESS RELEASE: Amendment to Heritage Bill step in the right direction but does not answer the Burning Question The IWT reluctantly welcomes the outcome of the Seanad debate on the Heritage Bill. The outcome is not what we would have liked as we strongly felt that hedge-cutting for health and safety issues are clearly already […]
New book charts Ireland’s vanishing nature and explores a future for people and wildlife Pádraic Fogarty has been Campaign Officer for the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) since 2013 and was its Chairman from 2009 to 2013. During this time he has also been Editor of the IWT’s quarterly ‘Irish Wildlife’ magazine. In his new book Whittled […]
PRESS RELEASE: Devastating weekend for wildfires across Ireland With a grim predictability, the first dry spell of Spring has seen a surge of wildfires across Ireland. Since Friday the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has recorded 15 wildfires from counties Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Galway, Donegal, Louth and Mayo. Eight of these were in areas protected for nature conservation – all are illegal […]
PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes ruling on hedgerow destruction which costs Meath farmer €3,500 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the recent ruling from Judge Gráinne Malone at Navan District Court (13th January last) in which Mr. Richard Douglas, a cattle farmer from Rathmoylan, Co Meath, appeared on a summons relating to the destruction of 800 meters of […]
