Category Archives for "All News"

Sep 24

PRESS RELEASE: Moves to open up protected peatlands must be reversed

PRESS RELEASE: Moves to open up protected peatlands must be reversed   24th September 2019   The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling on the government to reverse proposals to open up protected peatland conservation areas for turf-cutting which are proposed in the Wildlife Bill. The bill is being discussed in the Seanad this week. This […]

Continue reading
Sep 18

Species of the week: Marmalade Hoverfly

Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus E. balteatus is a relatively small hoverfly (9–12 mm) of the Syrphidae family. The upper side of the abdomen is patterned with orange and black bands. Two further identification characters are the presence of secondary black bands on the third and fourth dorsal plates and faint greyish longitudinal stripes on the […]

Continue reading
Sep 11

Species of the week: Oak Moss

Oak Moss Evernia prunastri Evernia prunastri is a species of lichen, it has no official English name but is known as Oak Moss. Lichens that are attached only at the base are called fruticose and E. prunastri is the commonest in this group. It has a strap-shaped body, with fork-like branches hanging down from the […]

Continue reading
Sep 04

Species of the week: Spindle

Spindle tree Euonymus europaeus Feoras Spindle is found throughout Ireland in woodland, scrub and hedgerows on limestone. It is often planted in gardens and parks. A deciduous shrub or small tree which grows 3–6 m tall, rarely 10 m, with a stem up to 20 cm in diameter. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate to elliptical, […]

Continue reading
Sep 02

Press release: Radical overhaul of Forestry Policy is urgently required.

Press release: Radical overhaul of Forestry Policy is urgently required. The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling for a radical overhaul of our forestry sector in response to the climate and biodiversity emergency. On nearly every measure our current forestry model is failing and in particular is driving extinction, water pollution and rural decline. The IWT […]

Continue reading
Aug 28

Species of the week: Raft Spider

Raft Spider Dolomedes fimbriatus   Ireland’s largest spider, the Raft Spider, lives within our bogs and fens. The female (remember female spiders are larger than male spiders) spider’s body measures up to 22 millimetres long and leg span up to about 70 millimetres. We associate spiders with dry land but the Raft spider is semi-aquatic. […]

Continue reading
Aug 21

Species of the week: Pedunculate Oak

Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur Dair ghallda Pedunculate Oak is the less common of the two native Irish oak species. You can distinguish it from Sessile oak by looking at its acorns – pedunculate oak produces acorns on stalks. The oak is one of our largest and longest lived trees – specimens typically live for up […]

Continue reading
Aug 14

Species of the week: Common Green Grasshopper

Common Green Grasshopper Omocestus viridulus Dreoilín teaspaigh The common green grasshopper is a grasshopper of the Acrididae family. It is found in moderately wet regions of Europe and is distributed widely across Britain. Its range extends as far as Siberia and Mongolia. In Ireland it tends to be found in areas with long grass, such […]

Continue reading
Aug 07

Species of the week: Fairy Flax

Fairy Flax Linum catharticum Lus na mban sí Fairy Flax is an annual or biennial herb found in seashore meadows, dry fields, or rocky outcrops or limestone pavement. The 5 petals of the plant are small (4mm), white with light veins and a yellow centre. It flowers from May to September. The flowers droop noticeably […]

Continue reading
Jul 08

PRESS RELEASE: Dramatic new research shows the power of trees in addressing global climate breakdown.

PRESS RELEASE: Dramatic new research shows the power of trees in addressing global climate breakdown. 08th July 2019 Dramatic new research, published in the journal ‘Science’ demonstrates the incredible powers of trees to drawdown carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The researchers suggested this should be among the priority actions in dealing with climate breakdown. The […]

Continue reading
Jun 20

Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes Coillte forest initiative which is potentially very significant for nature

Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes Coillte forest initiative which is potentially very significant for nature 20th June 2019 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) strongly welcomes Coillte’s announcement that a new division of the company is to be devoted to biodiversity and non-commercial objectives. This is a very significant step towards creating large areas of […]

Continue reading
Jun 18

PRESS RELEASE: Nature largely missing from the government Climate Action Plan

PRESS RELEASE: Nature largely missing from the government Climate Action Plan 18 June 2019 The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the publication of the government’s Climate Action Plan but is disappointed that nature – and addressing the biodiversity/extinction crisis in particular – is largely ignored. We welcome the commitment to better manage hedgerows and soils in […]

Continue reading
May 21

People for Bees in National Biodiversity Week

People for Bees in National Biodiversity Week The IWT People for Bees programme had a great opening weekend to National Biodiversity Week, with a double bill of bee monitoring workshops. We were in St Enda’s park in Rathfarnham Co Dublin on Saturday and in Letterkenny Institute of Technology on Sunday. Both bee monitoring events were […]

Continue reading
May 20

Floating Classroom onboard Celtic Mist

Floating Classroom onboard Celtic Mist 20th May 2019 A group of Ireland’s environmental NGOs are teaming up this spring for a rather unique education project lead by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.  The exciting Floating Classroom initiative is combining ocean exploration with an educational schools programme which aims to raise awareness of Ireland’s marine […]

Continue reading
May 18

Discover your nature this National Biodiversity Week

Discover your nature this National Biodiversity Week For the Irish Wildlife Trust, National Biodiversity Week is one of the most important and enjoyable weeks of the year. It is an opportunity for people across the country to get out and experience the biodiversity we still have in Ireland. There is a huge amount to discover […]

Continue reading
May 13

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust accuses the Office of Public Works in acting unlawfully in destroying large sections of the River Newport in Limerick

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust accuses the Office of Public Works in acting unlawfully in destroying large sections of the River Newport in Limerick The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has accused the Office of Public Works (OPW) in acting unlawfully when clearing a 3km stretch of river habitat along the River Newport in Co. Limerick […]

Continue reading
May 07

PRESS RELEASE: IWT is calling on the government to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency following the publication of the latest UN report

PRESS RELEASE: IWT is calling on the government to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency following the publication of the latest UN report 06 May 2019 The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling on the government to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency following the publication of the latest UN report to warn of catastrophic consequences […]

Continue reading
Mar 28

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust objects to Bord na Móna’s plans for a 24-turbine wind farm within the Shannon Wilderness Park

PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust objects to Bord na Móna’s plans for a 24-turbine wind farm within the Shannon Wilderness Park 28th March 2019 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has submitted an objection to An Bord Pleanala against Bord na Móna’s proposed Derryadd 24-turbine wind farm in the heart of the proposed Shannon Wilderness Park […]

Continue reading
Feb 20

Together for Biodiversity Award Winners

The Irish Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce the winners of the Together for Biodiversity Awards. The awards were presented to the category winners at the National Biodiversity Conference by Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan. The Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the work being carried out by individuals, communities, schools, […]

Continue reading
Feb 12

A Lament for our Peatlands

A lament for our peatlands What a let down. After being invited to an Oireachtas hearing to “discuss preserving biodiversity and ecosystems of peatlands” I had thought that here was an chance to talk openly with law-makers about the threats and opportunities facing our bedragled bogs. Even the press release from the ‘Joint Committee on […]

Continue reading