Over the summer of 2021 we held a series of 9 townhall meetings in major Irish coastal counties. We addressed questions and concerns the public had about marine protected areas and encouraged participants to participate in the public consultation on the report ‘Expanding Ireland’s Marine Protected Area Network’ available to download here. The government received […]
Press Release 30th March Wildart 2021 – Express your Creativity with the Irish Wildlife Trust WildArt Competition The Irish Wildlife Trust has launched the second edition of their children’s art competition WildArt. The competition will engage children in the wonders of local wildlife (within their lockdown surroundings of course!). Children up to the age of 18 […]
Press Release 15th March 2021 Irish Wildlife Trust finds that no permits for ‘controlled burning’ were issued in the North, East or South of Ireland in 2020, and only two in the West The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has received information from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage from Freedom of Information that […]
Press Release 18th February 2021 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes Oireachtas report on pre-Legislative Scrutiny of General Scheme of the Marine Planning and Development Management (MPDM) Bill The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the report on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the MPDM Bill which will provide for development projects in the marine environment, particularly off-shore renewable […]
Press Release 16th February Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes independent review of the National Biodiversity Action Plan The Irish Wildlife Trust today (16/2/21) welcomes the report of the National Biodiversity Forum which highlights serious weaknesses in the state’s approach to biodiversity protection. The IWT particularly welcomes the recommendation that the next National Biodiversity Action Plan be […]
Press Release 03rd February 2021 Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes commencement of National Parks and Wildlife Service Review The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the announcement by Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, that the review of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has […]
PRESS RELEASE 26 January 2021 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes publication of report on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) but process must be accelerated The report published today by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government will advise the government on how to expand Ireland’s network of MPAs. This report is a crucial step towards safeguarding […]
PRESS RELEASE 11 January 2021 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes Government commitment to ‘High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People’ at today’s One Planet Summit The One Planet Summit, which takes place today at the initiative of French president Emmanuel Macron and which will be attended (virtually) by Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Heritage and […]
Press Release 12th November 2020 New information shows that unlawful turf-cutting remains widespread on Special Areas of Conservation Data from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG), and acquired by the Irish Wildlife Trust under Access to Information on the Environment rules, shows that mechanical turf-cutting continues to be a widespread issue on […]
Press Release 15th October Budget marks a significant change in direction in the state’s approach to nature protection The Irish Wildlife Trust has welcomed this week’s announcements in the budget which will start to address our biodiversity crisis. New funding announcements have been made across a range of sectors which will address historic shortfalls, most […]
PRESS RELEASE 09th October 2020 Irish Wildlife Trust calls for moratorium on all trawling within six nautical miles of the coast following High Court ruling Following the High Court ruling [i] that has overturned a decision to prohibit trawling by larger boats within 6 nautical miles of the coast, the IWT has written to Minister […]
Press Release 01st October 2020 IWT calls on Minister O’Brien to take urgent measures to prevent destruction of protected marine habitats The Irish Wildlife Trust has released a report which highlights Ireland’s failure to manage and successfully protect the inshore network of marine protected areas (MPAs) [i]. Collating evidence from surveys conducted by the National […]
PRESS RELEASE 25th September 2020 Fix the problems in forestry before silencing objectors The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is extremely concerned about the undue haste with which new forestry legislation is being rushed through the Oireachtas. This legislation proposes to introduce fees for objectors for the first time and was part of a broader set […]
Press Release 07th August Irish Wildlife Trust call on UNESCO to remove ‘Biosphere’ label from Killarney as Kerry County Council withdraws support The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has written to the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) committee calling on them to immediately remove Killarney from its list of ‘Biosphere Reserves’. The call follows the revelation, […]
Press Release 04th August PRESS RELEASE: Irish Wildlife Trust calls on Minister Malcolm Noonan not to issue licences for cruel hare coursing The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling on Minister at the Department of Housing Malcolm Noonan not to issue licences for hare coursing. The IWT would like to see hare coursing banned as […]
Press Release 21st July Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) calls for sheep to be taken off the hills to allow restoration of upland and peatland ecosystems IWT is calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Dara Calleary, Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity Pippa Hackett and Minister at the Department of Housing Malcolm […]
Press Release 01/07/2020 Disbelief as Green ministers hand nature protection to Housing Department BirdWatch Ireland, Irish Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth, An Taisce, SWAN and the Environmental Pillar make joint call to #BringNatureHome Leading environmental NGOs have expressed disbelief at the new Government’s proposal to move responsibility for nature to the Department of Housing. […]
Press Release 16th June The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the Programme for Government as potentially transformative for the Irish landscape. The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is welcoming the Programme for Government (PfG) presented by Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and Fine Gael as containing a number of elements which are potentially transformative in addressing […]
Press Release 12th June 2020 The Irish Wildlife Trust is inviting submissions for a Wild Oceans Photography Competition In honour of World Oceans Day this June and to coincide with the easing of travel restrictions, the Irish Wildlife Trust have launched a marine themed photography contest. The aim of this competition is to raise awareness […]
Press Release 20th May 2020 Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes EU Biodiversity Strategy but we must move quickly to implementation. The IWT welcomes the publication of the EU’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy and Farm to Fork plan which set ambitious targets for the restoration of nature across the continent. If implemented it would see a transformation of […]
Press Release 15th May 2020 Protections for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel must be upheld The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling on the government to uphold protections for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, among the most endangered animals in Ireland. This week a number of Cork County Councillors wrote to the Minister for Culture, Heritage and […]
Press Release 09th May 2020 Press release: IWT welcomes the leaked EU Biodiversity Strategy on the anniversary of Ireland declaring a climate and biodiversity emergency On Thursday May 9th 2019 Ireland became the first country to declare a climate and a biodiversity emergency. On its first anniversary there is sadly little to show for this […]
Potential government parties should look to sea for important carbon emissions reductions, according to Irish Wildlife Trust Press release 07th May 2020 IWT urges political parties to recognise the carbon storage capacity of our seas and agree to protect and restore vulnerable marine habitats to help avert the climate and biodiversity crises. Several international commitments aim […]
The Irish Wildlife Trust has called on farming organisations to support a new approach to land management after a wildfire sweeps through the Wicklow Mountains Special Area of Conservation Press Release: 16th April 2020 A massive, illegal wildfire has swept through the Wicklow Mountains Special Area of Conservation (SAC) through the evening of April 15th […]
Press Release: More needs to be done to stop the scourge of illegal wildfires The Irish Wildlife Trust is calling on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and Minister for Heritage Josepha Madigan to do more to stop the annual scourge of wildfires on the hills. Wildfires are illegal at any time of year while […]
Urgency of addressing the biodiversity emergency is underlined by Covid-19 crisis Press Release 23rd March 2020 The breakdown of global ecosystems presents an urgent threat to humanity, which was recognised in 2019 with the publication of the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by the United Nations [i]. This report highlighted how natural […]
Native Tree Giveaway Greens Co. Laois Woodlands Community Receives 12,000 Donated Trees and Shrubs 24th February 2020 Trees, hedgerows and parks in Co. Laois received a boost from a recent tree donation. Approximately 12,000 trees were donated by the Trees on the Land projects, and distributed by the Laois Offaly Branch of the Irish Wildlife […]
Press Release: The Irish Wildlife Trust’s Top-Tens Asks for Politicians in advance of the General Election 28th January 2019 The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has written to the political parties with our top ten asks for the next government to avert ecological meltdown. The 2020s needs to be the decade for nature restoration […]
Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes action on vegetation destruction 22nd January 2019 The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the successful prosecution of two men for the destruction of 3 acres of scrub vegetation during the bird nesting season in 2018 (see statement below from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht). We’d like […]
Press Release 20th January 2019 Public invited to Irish Wildlife Trust and Regenerative Farming Ireland event to discuss the future of farming What is the future for farming in an era of biodiversity and climate crises? Can farming be part of the solution to ecological breakdown while providing incomes for farmers? The Irish Wildlife Trust […]
