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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Press Release: Prohibition on burning vegetation comes into effect on Wednesday (March 1st) The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is reminding landowners that from Wednesday (March 1st) it is prohibited under the Wildlife Act to burn vegetation for the duration of the bird nesting season (ending August 31st). Last year the IWT recorded 27 wild fires from the end […]
Press Release: Nothing new in Creed’s badger vaccination ‘announcement’. Badgers continue to die in large numbers. The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the publication of research which shows that vaccinating badgers is effective in reducing levels of TB in badger [1]. However, yesterdays ‘announcement’ of the results by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine […]
Press Release: Minister Creed fails to act in the public interest in failing to end overfishing The Irish Wildlife Trust, which was in Brussels this week, is disappointed with the outcome of the latest round of fish quota negotiations which will do little for coastal communities or the protection of the marine environment. Despite the […]
Press Release: National Biodiversity Action Plan must address lack of political will if we are to save our wildlife The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has called for greater prioritisation of wildlife protection in its submission to the draft National Biodiversity Action Plan. This is the third such plan and this is destined to fail, just […]
Press Release: Minister Creed urged to prioritise recovery of fish stocks to benefit fish and coastal communities In advance of the annual Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels next Monday and Tuesday the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is urging Minister Michael Creed to prioritise the recovery of fish populations – something that will benefit fishing communities as […]
Press Release: Minister Creed urged to prioritise recovery of fish stocks to benefit fish and coastal communities In advance of the annual Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels next Monday and Tuesday the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is urging Minister Michael Creed to prioritise the recovery of fish populations – something that will benefit fishing communities as […]
PRESS RELEASE: MEPs must use their influence to get independent observers on board supertrawlers in Irish waters The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes the intervention by the naval service to board the supertrawler ‘Margiris’ yesterday (see www.facebook.com/irishnavalservice ). However in order to address the concerns around these very large boats it is imperative that full-time, independent […]
PRESS RELEASE: Pine martens mostly vegetarian – citizen scientists in Laois bust the myths Whilst some media outlets have chosen to portray one of Ireland’s rarest and elusive wild mammals as a blood thirsty, lamb murdering tyrant, work is currently underway in the Midlands to learn more about these forest-dwelling creatures and dispel the myths […]
Press Release: “31 Days, 31 Reasons for why it’s No to More Slash and Burn!” The Irish Wildlife Trust, Birdwatch Ireland, An Taisce, and the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland highlight 31 reasons why the proposed changes to Section 40 of the Wildlife Act contained in the Heritage Bill 2016 are unjustified. Sign the petition, please see: https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/no-to-more-slash-and-burn In […]
Press Release: Ban on hedge cutting still in effect until 31st August. The Irish Wildlife Trust is highlighting that the ban on hedge cutting still runs until the end of August 31st. The Irish Wildlife Trust’s office has received numerous calls from around the country regarding illegal hedge cutting this summer and there is now […]
PRESS RELEASE: Information revealed under Access to Information on the Environment legislation shows Minister Heather Humphreys failing in her duty to protect badgers The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is a national organisation concerned with the conservation of Ireland’s natural heritage. For many years we have campaigned against the policy of culling badgers in order to […]
Press Release: Culling badgers not the answer to eradicating TB Ireland has a historic problem with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle and since 1989 has been culling badgers in an effort to eradicate the disease. From the beginning the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has opposed this approach, which sees healthy badgers, including pregnant or nursing females, […]
Press Release: destruction to wildlife and landscape across Ireland as 19 wildfires recorded in 10 days The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) would like to thank the many people who responded to our call to log wildfires with us. In the 10 days from April 16th to 26th we received reports of 19 separate wildfires from across Ireland – […]
Press Release: Wildlife Groups welcome progress on management of Kerry Red Deer The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) and Wild Deer Association of Ireland (WDAI) have welcomed discussions with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) which the groups held in Dublin on Friday last, April 15th. The two conservation groups had previously expressed concerns over […]
Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust urges people to log wildfires The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is a national conservation charity. In recent years we have highlighted the devastating effects that illegal wildfires have on our countryside and wildlife. This year we are urging people to contact us with details of where, and when, wildfires are […]
Press Release: Keep an eye out for roaming reptiles! Have you seen a roaming reptile recently? With winter finally behind us it’s the beginning of lizard season and the Irish Wildlife Trust is calling on people to get out and start reptile recording. As part of our National Reptile Survey we are asking the public […]
Press Release: Time to find solutions to extreme flooding and stop obsessing on EU nature laws The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling on politicians to find effective solutions to the problem of extreme flooding. With climate change likely to increase the frequency and intensity of these events it is more important than ever that […]
Press Release: Decline of the Irish Sea continues as Fishing Quotas set beyond scientific advice The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is concerned at the continuing decline of the marine environment in the Irish Sea following the European Commission’s Council meeting earlier this week. Since 2004 scientists have advised that no fishing for cod or whiting […]
Press Release: Starving Golden Eagles require urgent government action The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is urging Ministers Simon Coveney and Heather Humphries to act urgently to save the golden eagle reintroduction project from failure. Last week the Golden Eagle Trust confirmed what many ecologists already suspected: the project is failing as there is not enough food in the Donegal landscape […]
Press Release: ‘Sustainability’ measures failing to address impacts of agriculture on our wildlife The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomes the publication today of An Bord Bia’s ‘Origin Green’ sustainability report and its stated aim for Ireland to become a ‘world leader of sustainably produced food and drink’. However existing measures are not addressing the significant role agriculture […]
Press Release: Supertrawler likely to be having devastating effects on marine life The Irish Wildlife Trust has written to the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) and Minister for the Marine Simon Coveney with regard to the supertrawler FV Margiris which is currently in Irish waters. We are particularly concerned with the potential this type of […]
Press Release: Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes Irish Government adoption of UN Sustainable Development Goals At the UN General Assembly in New York this week An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and President Micheal D. Higgins will commit Ireland to a series of Sustainable Development Goals to be reached by 2030. The IWT particularly welcomes goals 14 and […]
