Category Archives for "All News"

Dec 19

Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes agreement at COP15 but warns there is an urgent need for implementation

Press Release  19th December 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes agreement at COP15 but warns there is an urgent need for implementation   The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the announcement this morning (December 19th) that the signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity have concluded a new deal to reverse biodiversity loss and stabilise global ecosystems. […]

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Dec 10

The Government at COP15

The Government at COP15 December 11th 2022 COP15, being held in Montreal, Canada, is the biggest, most important event for biodiversity in over a decade. The previous one of this magnitude, held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, was the last to produce an overarching agreement among the world’s countries to stop the loss of species and […]

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Dec 06

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust attends COP15

Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust attends COP15, the most important event for biodiversity in over a decade 06th December 2022   The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) will be in Montreal, Canada from Wednesday (7/12) to attend the COP15 meeting, hailed as the biggest meeting for biodiversity in over a decade. COP15 is held under the […]

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Nov 28

PRESS RELEASE: IWT welcomes recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss

Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss 28th November 2022   The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) warmly welcomes the recommendation from the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss that the constitution should be amended to better protect biodiversity. The IWT had asked in our submission that the rights of nature […]

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Nov 27

Nature Restoration Law

Nature Restoration Law 27th November 2022 Democracy requires a lot of talking. Too much talking many might say, and certainly when it comes to the biodiversity and climate emergency we have heard far too much talk accompanied by precious little action. As I write, the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss has just voted to pass […]

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Nov 17

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes Oireachtas committee recommendations to reverse biodiversity loss

PRESS RELEASE 17th November 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes Oireachtas committee recommendations to reverse biodiversity loss The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the report from the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action on Biodiversity published today (17/11/22). The IWT gave a presentation to committee members during the hearings which took place in 2021. We […]

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Nov 13

Crisis of Consultations

Crisis of Consultations November 13th 2022 “We want to hear your views”: six words that make hardened environmental activists want to take up smoking. Much time is devoted by NGOs and local community groups to making submissions to ‘public consultations’. This is where the government or one of its agencies asks ‘the public’ for its […]

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Nov 08

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes €1.3 billion funding for new forest programme but warns that money alone will not address problems

PRESS RELEASE 08th November 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes €1.3 billion funding for new forest programme but warns that money alone will not address problems The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the additional funding for forestry schemes announced last week (3/11/22) by Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett. The increased grant and premium […]

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Oct 29

A revolution is underway

A revolution is underway October 29th 2022 Loss of biodiversity is a sad feature of humanity since our earliest ancestors first left the plains of Africa, but it was the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492 that unleashed an assault on the natural world unlike anything seen in human history. The spread […]

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Oct 15

Toxic denial

Toxic denial October 16th 2022 Denial remains a prevailing feature of the faltering approach to our collapsing biosphere. Outright climate denial has ceased to be a standard feature of debates even if it hasn’t completely disappeared. Extinction denial hasn’t been so noticeable but that is likely due to the fact that biodiversity loss has not […]

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Oct 11

The Irish Wildlife Trust is hiring a Marine Advocacy Officer

The Irish Wildlife Trust is hiring a Marine Advocacy Officer    *** This job application is now closed ***   Job Title: Marine Advocacy Officer  Organisation: The Irish Wildlife Trust, 8 Cabra Road, Dublin 7, Ireland    Salary: €30,000 – €35,000 per annum subject to experience Hours: This is a full time 5 days per […]

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Oct 01

Brazil’s national election and the fate of the Amazon

Brazil’s national election and the fate of the Amazon Fabiola Gomes Vieira October 1st 2022 Once again Brazil is preparing for a presidential election, only this time the date is surrounded by even more attention and tension than normal. After four years of the government of Jair Bolsonaro, champion of the loosening of environmental protection […]

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Sep 29

PRESS RELEASE: Continuing failure by Ireland to protect peatlands highlighted by the European Commission

PRESS RELEASE 29th September 2022 Continuing failure by Ireland to protect peatlands highlighted by the European Commission The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is welcoming today additional infringement proceedings by the European Commission against Ireland in order to enforce protections for peatlands. In 1992, by signing up to the EU’s Habitats Directive, Ireland agreed to protect some raised […]

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Sep 20

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust calls for strong new law in submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss

PRESS RELEASE 20th September 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust calls for strong new law in submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has made a submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss which calls for a strong new Biodiversity Act that will put the protection and restoration of biodiversity on […]

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Sep 17

No more industrial tree farms

No more industrial tree farms 17th of September 2022 Will Ireland’s new Forest Strategy prove to be the acorn that went on to be a mighty oak? Or will it be a seed in the wind, destined to land on stony ground? It’s hard to get excited about new strategies, given our long history of […]

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Jul 29

PRESS RELEASE: Emissions reductions deal a dreadful failure of leadership

PRESS RELEASE 29th July 2022  Emissions reductions deal a dreadful failure of leadership The deal reached by the government, which fails to meet even the minimum legal requirement of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030, has demonstrated a dreadful lack of leadership. The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is particularly disappointed that more was […]

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Jul 23

Dodgy Dealings Under the Sea

Dodgy Dealings Under the Sea by Pádraic Fogarty July 23rd 2022 Hundreds of records released to Coastal Concern Alliance, a citizens’ group, under Freedom of Information and Access to Information on the Environment rules raise serious questions for habitat protection and wind farm development in the Irish Sea Was there political interference in designating sites […]

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Jun 22

EU nature law could be gamechanger for marine biodiversity, but will be meaningless if fisheries not properly addressed – NGO reaction

EU nature law could be gamechanger for marine biodiversity, but will be meaningless if fisheries not properly addressed  NGOs react to the marine aspects of the law Brussels – Today, the European Commission presented its legislative proposal on nature restoration, a new law with binding targets to restore degraded land and marine ecosystems across the […]

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Jun 17

Species in Focus: Cormorant

Species in Focus: Cormorant As the summer starts to pick up speed, you might find yourself heading down to the beach to cool off. Keep an eye on the sea when you’re there, and you might spot a cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) out on a fishing trip. Cormorants are common seabirds, although they’re often mixed up […]

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Jun 11

Sinn Féin and biodiversity

Sinn Féin and biodiversity June 11th 2022 The government is nearing its second birthday. At the end of this year, at the halfway point if the government goes to full term, Micheál Martin will be replaced as Taoiseach by Leo Varadkar. While Martin has backed a response to the biodiversity emergency, even addressing the National […]

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May 28

30 years of plans… and counting

30 years of plans… and counting May 28th 2022 Next month (June) will mark the 30th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. That’s right, 30 years. In 1992, when I was just finished my first year in college and heading off for a summer of fun in Munich, thousands of delegates from across the globe […]

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May 19

Species in Focus: Painted Lady

Species in Focus: Painted Lady When you think of far-ranging animals found across all the continents, your mind probably goes straight to birds. But would you believe there’s a species of butterfly that does just as much exploring? The painted lady (Vanessa cardui) is the most widespread species of butterfly in the world. It occurs […]

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May 18

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust opposes redesignation of 466 water bodies as ‘highly modified’

PRESS RELEASE 18th May 2022 Irish Wildlife Trust opposes redesignation of 466 water bodies as ‘highly modified’ – the move could leave thousands of kilometres of river permanently degraded and near lifeless The Irish Wildlife Trust has responded to the public consultation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the redesignation of hundreds of water […]

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May 15

Could this be a super year?

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 […]

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May 04

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

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 […]

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Apr 30

Is this progress?

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 […]

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Apr 29

Real Marine Protected Areas are within the EU’s grasp

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 […]

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