Ireland’s betrayal of the wolf in Europe by Oisín Ó Néill, IWT Nature Advocacy Officer First published online: 30 September 2026 “In the elusive grace of the wolf, we find a reflection of our primordial fears. Few creatures lead our minds along such untrodden paths, showing us that there are multiple truths, multiple realities.” — […]
Cherry Laurel Assessed as High Risk Invasive: The Science is Clear. Ireland Must Now Ban Its Sale. by Oisín Ó Néill, IWT Nature Advocacy Officer First published online: 12 August 2026 A newly published risk assessment of Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) has confirmed what ecologists, conservationists, and community groups on the ground have been warning […]
Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust and Gaelic Woodland Project Call for Nationwide Cherry Laurel Sales Ban 12 August 2026 New Government-commissioned risk assessment finds invasive Cherry Laurel poses a High risk to Ireland’s biodiversity, with High confidence. A newly published risk assessment of Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) has found the invasive plant poses an overall […]
A Living Land – Ambition and Opportunity by Oisín Ó Néill, IWT Nature Advocacy Officer First published: 13 July 2026 Last week the Government published A Living Land (Phase 2 of Ireland’s Land Use Review). The report contains a number of recommendations and ambitious modelled pathways for how Ireland could use its land over the […]
Nature & Society Need More Ambitious Nature Restoration First published online: 10 July 2026 The National Restoration Plan represents a historic opportunity, as arguably the most significant piece of biodiversity legislation to bind Ireland in a generation. The destruction and degradation of the ecosystems around us threatens not just our beautiful wild species but […]
Have your Say: Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan First published: 24 June 2026 Ireland’s nature is in crisis and your voice can help change that. Ireland is at a turning point for nature. Right now, the government is finalising its first-ever National Nature Restoration Plan — a legally binding roadmap that will shape how we restore […]
Article 17 Report 2025 By Grace Carr, IWT Marine Advocacy Officer First published online: 12 December 2025 2025’s Article 17 report results are as clear as day. Nature is declining in Ireland. The State needs to properly fund and support nature restoration. Every 6 years countries in the EU have to report on the state […]
A Historic Day for Europe and Nature Press Release 17th June 2024 The EU Nature Restoration Law is finally passed by the EU Council of Environmental Minister’s after several years of negotiations The EU Nature restoration Law which aims to restore 20% of EU land and 20% of EU seas was finally passed […]
IWT welcomes government support for Nature Restoration Law and calls on other states to step up for nature. Press Release 14/6/2023 The Nature Restoration Law is officially on the agenda for debate and a potential vote in the upcoming EU Environment Council meeting on the 17th June. This is the final meeting of […]
Citizens’ Assembly Ideas 2023 saw the publication of the “Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss”. Many impactful solutions to biodiversity loss are found within the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly. It is vital that the Government of Ireland act on these recommendations. This series of articles explores ideas found within the Citizens’ Assembly […]
Nature Can’t Vote but You Can. Published 28th May 2024 The European and Local elections are coming up on June 7th and we are encouraging everyone to get out and vote. Nature cannot vote but you can, so why not use your vote to help protect and restore nature. Sometimes the EU can seem […]
EU Member States Backtracking On Nature Restoration Law Undermines Democratic Process By Grace Carr Published March 28th 2024 A very disappointing turn of events has happened over the past week in regards to the NRL. The Council should have completed the final rubber stamp of the law on Monday. This is usually just a formality […]
EU Nature Restoration Law – A Deep Dive Published: March 14th 2024 Author: Grace Carr, IWT Marine Advocacy Officer. First Published by Fair Seas. Here we look at the recently passed EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) and what it means for life in the ocean. In this blog we look at the marine targets within […]
Nature Restoration Law passed by European Parliament Press Release 27th February 2024 The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the passing of the Nature Restoration Law and believes this is a substantial step forward on the way to restoring our degraded ecosystems. While the law has been weakened since the Commission’s original proposal back in 2022, it […]
2023 has been filled with many ups and downs when it comes to biodiversity and conservation measures for nature in Ireland, read on for some of the most important developments of the year. Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss and EU Biodiversity Strategy One of the best news stories for nature conservation this year was the […]
Press Release Essential Nature Restoration Law Survives EU Negotiations Published 10th November 2023 EU Trilogue Negotiations have concluded on the Nature Restoration Law. Although ambition has been weakened from the original vision for this law, it is now a step closer to becoming a reality and supporting Ireland’s efforts to save nature. The Irish […]
The Nature Restoration Law was proposed by the European Commission in June 2022. This law is part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy which is a key element to the European Green Deal. It aims to help recover Europe’s extreme biodiversity loss by 2030. The original text which was proposed had restoration targets to cover […]
Press Release 12th July 2023 Nature thrown a lifeline as motion to reject Nature Restoration Law is defeated The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is delighted that MEPs today (12th July) voted to pass the Nature Restoration Law (NRL). This is a substantial step forward for the European Green Deal and while it could be more […]
Press Release Irish MEPs must support a strong Nature Restoration Law at the European Parliament meeting in July 27th June 2023 Today, MEPs in the European Parliament committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) concluded their voting on the Nature Restoration Law (NRL). The final vote was tied 44-44 which means […]
Press Release MEPs have voted to keep the Nature Restoration Law alive and fought off attempts to quash it by the European People’s Party (Fine Geal’s European group) 15th June 2023 A key vote in Strasbourg has kept hopes alive for the livelihoods of millions of workers and the wellbeing of the planet. Voting […]
Big parties are failing to lead Pádraic Fogarty June 3rd 2023 Biodiversity week came to a close last week with dozens of events around the country celebrating our natural heritage. It’s hard to know if the irony was lost on some politicians that instead of spending time reflecting on our connection with nature they joined […]
Press Release Irish political leaders must support Nature Restoration in the European Parliament May 25th 2023 The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling on all political leaders in Ireland to ensure that their MEPs support the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament This week the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH) and Agriculture and […]
The European Nature Restoration Law (NRL) is the first continent-wide comprehensive law to restore Europe’s degraded ecosystems on land and sea. The climate and biodiversity crisis are two sides of the same coin and we must tackle them simultaneously. Having healthy ecosystems will not only help to mitigate climate change it will also offer natural […]
