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ecology

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Fishing activity can only be controlled by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Pictures: Pádraic Fogarty</p>

S outdoors

Ireland's first marine national park has a name... but does it have much else going for it yet?

Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara Ciarraí incorporates a combination of lands already in State ownership, either by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) or the Office of Public Works including Sceilg Mhichíl and the former home of Daniel O’Connell at Derrynane

<p>Fishing boats trawling for sprats at dusk on the River Suir, between Waterford and Wexford, with the Blackstairs Mountains visible in the background. Picture: RollingNews.ie</p>

outdoors

Large trawler restrictions welcome but careful management still needed

<p>Wild Nephin: Native woodland establishment behind deer and sheep proof fencing. Pictures: Pádraic Fogarty</p>

S outdoors

Pádraic Fogarty: There are signs of positive change at Wild Nephin

Cork Nature Network becomes Nature Network Ireland — a new name for a national movement

outdoors

Cork Nature Network becomes Nature Network Ireland — a new name for a national movement

Butterfly numbers in freefall as biodiversity decline unfolds at pace

outdoors

Butterfly numbers in freefall as biodiversity decline unfolds at pace

US-POLITICS-ENVIRONMENT-NATURE-PARKS-PROTEST

S outdoors

Dire distress flag signal — will environmental publicity stunt be heeded?

Hedgerows are a haven for nesting birds — and are protected during nesting season

Hedgerows are a haven for nesting birds — and are protected during nesting season

Legal restrictions on cutting hedgerows between March and August 31 are to protect bird life during the nesting season, and to protect vegetation and wildlife habitats during the months of growth and reproduction

Thu, 20 Mar, 2025

Rob Roy Glacier in New Zealand

Nature strives for balance: A rare glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak environmental outlook

How climate change is creating new peatlands in a New Zealand mountain

Fri, 14 Mar, 2025

Spraying weeds in the garden

It's not too late to avoid a litany of missed opportunities to look after wildlife habitats

Poisoning weeds, ripping out hedges, and planting 'pretty' but ecologically useless non-native flowers and shrubs make for neat and tidy parks and gardens that harm bees, frogs, fish, and wild birds

Wed, 12 Mar, 2025

Learning from an awe-inspiring immense ecosystem that has returned to life

S Learning from an awe-inspiring immense ecosystem that has returned to life

Rewilding ecologist and author Eoghan Daltun visited Costa Rica to see first-hand how the country has managed over the last 30 years to reverse one of the worst deforestation rates in all Latin America, becoming a global leader in nature conservation and restoration

Sun, 09 Mar, 2025

Donal Hickey: Sewage pollution and the pearl mussel

Donal Hickey: Sewage pollution and the pearl mussel

Once widespread, they are now found in very few catchments. Ireland is believed to have almost half of Europe’s pearl mussel population, with the Blackwater catchment accounting for a sizeable portion of that

Thu, 27 Feb, 2025

Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)

Anja Murray: Shy — and red-listed — woodcock still on legal hunting list

In 2023, the Government reviewed which birds can legally hunted in Ireland and when. The review resulted in four species of duck being removed from the quarry list — birds that can be shot during open season. Many expected that woodcock would also be removed from this list because of its red-listed conservation status, but not so

Wed, 26 Feb, 2025

Wicklow Mountains Park really could be great again with some careful planning and management

S Wicklow Mountains Park really could be great again with some careful planning and management

We should seize the opportunity to create a greatly expanded National Park using Coillte and other public lands where rewilding and nature restoration could be undertaken at an impressive scale, says ecologist Pádraic Fogarty

Sun, 23 Feb, 2025

Bee on a dandelion with grass in the background

Donal Hickey: Welcome dandelions instead of banishing them

These early wild flowers are a vital source of food for pollinators emerging from hibernation

Thu, 20 Feb, 2025

Anja Murray: Irish species at risk of extinction

Anja Murray: Irish species at risk of extinction

Ireland has already lost many species, especially as a result of rapid deforestation in the 1600 and 1700s, and persecution of top predators such as wolves and eagles

Wed, 12 Feb, 2025

Donal Hickey: Forestry re-think badly needed — could a €20k forestry scholarship help?

Donal Hickey: Forestry re-think badly needed — could a €20k forestry scholarship help?

A Coillte Forestry Scholarship will award students up to €20,000 for the duration of their degree programme (€5,000 per year) to support with fees and living expenses

Thu, 06 Feb, 2025

Idyllic landscape with birch forest and farm house at summer evening in Finland

Anja Murray: Now is the ideal time for planting trees

Settling a sapling in to the ground in February and March gives a young tree a chance to settle in before the sap begins to rise, ushering a new season of growth

Wed, 05 Feb, 2025

We can't stop storms coming but we can be more ready for them

We can't stop storms coming but we can be more ready for them

Our national approach to forest management needs to change dramatically to help us respond better to the increasing frequency and severity of big storms

Tue, 28 Jan, 2025

Iberian lynx saved from extinction... for now

Iberian lynx saved from extinction... for now

Thanks to captive breeding programmes, and tender loving care, there are now more than 2,000 of these carnivores — Europe’s rarest mammal — in the wild

Thu, 23 Jan, 2025

Water Spouts Gushing

Raw sewage scandal — so many dangers with dumping untreated waste into our waterways

More than half of treatment plants discharge water that’s not always treated to EPA standards... and the EPA has identified 73 priority areas for urgent action

Thu, 23 Jan, 2025

Lady’s Island Lake has enormous significance, but its lagoon ecosystems are collapsing

Lady’s Island Lake has enormous significance, but its lagoon ecosystems are collapsing

Wexford's Lady’s Island Lake has enormous ecological, spiritual and historical significance.

Wed, 22 Jan, 2025

Have you seen a stoat? Help researchers fill gaps in the Irish stoat story

Have you seen a stoat? Help researchers fill gaps in the Irish stoat story

The Irish Stoat Citizen Science Survey is in its final weeks — and researchers need your help! Nearly 800 sightings have been verified across Ireland, yet some areas with suitable habitats still lack records. If you’ve spotted an Irish stoat, alive or dead, you can contribute to this study by submitting your sighting on the National Biodiversity Data Centre website before January 31

Sun, 19 Jan, 2025

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

A quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction

The assessment found that crabs, crayfish and shrimps face the highest extinction risk of the groups studied, with 30% under threat, followed by 26% of freshwater fish species, and 16% of dragonflies and damselflies

Wed, 08 Jan, 2025

Wood mouse and hawthorn berries

Anja Murray: House mice give other creatures — like wood mice — a bad name

On the island of Ireland, mice greatly outnumber people, there are probably as many as 10 million wood mice whiskering their way about at this very moment, as well as another 10 million or more house mice

Wed, 08 Jan, 2025

Glorious grey rock: Ireland's drystone walls get international recognition

Glorious grey rock: Ireland's drystone walls get international recognition

Unesco recently included dry stone wall construction here in its list of protected, cultural heritage practices around the world. Good news as a new year begins, and a promise of safeguarding another part of our heritage following a long campaign

Thu, 02 Jan, 2025

Adult nestling barn swallows (Hirundo rustica)

Anja Murray: Making space for nature in our own plot of land

It won’t change the world, but it may just be enough to prevent another bee, hoverfly or butterfly species from disappearing in your townland. Catering to the needs of threatened wildlife will resonate in the values of those around you as well as bringing joy in 2025 and beyond

Wed, 01 Jan, 2025

Vegetarian piranha and flying dinosaur among newly named species in 2024

Vegetarian piranha and flying dinosaur among newly named species in 2024

New finds include a snake from the Indian Himalayas named after actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio and the piranha named after Lord Of The Rings villain Sauron

Fri, 20 Dec, 2024

'Tis the season... for barn owl nest box maintenance

'Tis the season... for barn owl nest box maintenance

Barn owls can be killed if they eat poisoned rats or mice — these birds are themselves one of the best means of natural rodent control

Thu, 12 Dec, 2024

Rare micromoth species discovered in East Cork — a first for Ireland

Rare micromoth species discovered in East Cork — a first for Ireland

The find represents a remarkable extension of this species' previously known range in Europe, as it had only been recorded as far west as Liverpool in England before now

Wed, 11 Dec, 2024

Anja Murray: The return of woodpeckers is a cause for celebration

Anja Murray: The return of woodpeckers is a cause for celebration

True to their exceptional nature, woodpeckers' remarkable comeback gives us a glimpse into the potential for ecological recovery, a nudge to remind us that when woodlands return, their wild residents are often able to recover lost ground too

Mon, 09 Dec, 2024

Pine marten rare species in natural habitat (Martes martes)

Native allies: Pine martens helping Ireland’s red squirrels fight back

A study conducted by researchers at NUI Galway and the University of Aberdeen found that red squirrels increase their numbers significantly within five years of pine marten population recovery

Fri, 06 Dec, 2024

Hen harrier

Anja Murray: Will the law save Irish birds, which are so threatened?

Species such as the puffin, snipe, hen harrier, kestrel and curlew are plummeting toward extinction here, and even legally protected conservation sites are lacking urgent habitat restoration actions

Wed, 04 Dec, 2024

Paving over progress — what Ardee Bog means for Ireland’s climate future

Paving over progress — what Ardee Bog means for Ireland’s climate future

The controversy over Ardee Bog is a wake-up call. If we are serious about achieving climate goals, we must address these policy gaps that extend legal safeguards beyond SACs and NHAs to include smaller, fragmented, and degraded peatlands that are still ecologically and climatically valuable

Fri, 15 Nov, 2024

Donal Hickey: Top eco award for Tralee wetlands group

Donal Hickey: Top eco award for Tralee wetlands group

Tralee Bay Wetlands Eco and Activity Park has won the overall All-Ireland Pollinator Award. The 22-acre park, alongside the road to the Dingle Peninsula, has a 20metre viewing tower, nature walks, pedal boats, a nature reserve and ecology section

Thu, 14 Nov, 2024

Gray wolf cubs

Anja Murray: We have to take on the role of the wolf in managing our woodlands

After a reign of more than 25,000 years in Ireland, the last Irish wolf was said to have been killed in 1786, on the slopes of Mount Leinster in County Carlow. The ecological ramifications of eradicating woodlands and wolves from the landscape have been enormous

Wed, 13 Nov, 2024

Snake charmer plays music for his cobra at the Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakesh

Richard Collins: Human cruelty to wildlife still persists

Cobras, their mouths stitched closed, or their poison receptacles removed, still perform for tourists on the great square at Marrakesh

Thu, 07 Nov, 2024

Take the pressures off Killarney National Park — and expand it

S Take the pressures off Killarney National Park — and expand it

Ecologist Pádraic Fogarty says it would not take much to tip the balance in favour of nature here... and we’ve already waited too long

Sun, 03 Nov, 2024

Seán Ronayne: Do we have enough safe hands to save Irish nature?

Seán Ronayne: Do we have enough safe hands to save Irish nature?

We just need to do the right thing by Irish nature, and understand that we, as a species cannot keep taking from the land as if we were the only inhabitants. It will give, eventually

Sat, 02 Nov, 2024

Blackbird

Richard Collins: Bird migration is dangerous and demanding — why do it?

It was originally thought birds migrated to save energy in a warmer climate but new research is challenging this idea

Thu, 24 Oct, 2024

How a ‘putrid’ find in a museum cupboard could be the key to bringing the Tasmanian tiger back to life

How a ‘putrid’ find in a museum cupboard could be the key to bringing the Tasmanian tiger back to life

A well-preserved thylacine head was a gruesome sight — but it also contained RNA molecules crucial to reconstructing the extinct animal’s genome

Sun, 20 Oct, 2024

Fallen autumn leaves in the park

Anja Murray: So-called 'leaf litter' doesn't mean gardens need a clean sweep

There is a very good biodiversity case for leaving the leaves alone

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

Remote island bird at risk of extinction is thrown a lifeline by parasitic wasps

Remote island bird at risk of extinction is thrown a lifeline by parasitic wasps

An invasive scale insect was devastating the population of endangered birds but a small wasp is being used to control the insects, allowing the bird numbers slowly recover

Tue, 08 Oct, 2024

Richard Collins: Why did the three-legged lion swim more than a kilometre through predator-infested waters?

Richard Collins: Why did the three-legged lion swim more than a kilometre through predator-infested waters?

Jacob the lion survived poachers, a buffalo attack, a limb amputation and more — so when he wanted to meet females he wasn't going to let crocodile-infested waters stop him

Thu, 01 Aug, 2024

Galway researchers call on citizen scientists to support ‘Plan Bee’

Galway researchers call on citizen scientists to support ‘Plan Bee’

'With the data that is provided by the public, our citizen scientists, we can devise conservation strategies'

Sun, 19 May, 2024

Back from the Brink is back this evening with simple solutions and success stories

Back from the Brink is back this evening with simple solutions and success stories

Derek Mooney explains that this is "a story of hope. It celebrates the people who are trying to make a difference in the climate and biodiversity crisis. This environmental disaster can be reversed. It will take all of us to make a difference. The fight isn't over yet, but the clock is ticking".

Sun, 12 May, 2024

When rewilding works — a visit to the Alps to track wolves

When rewilding works — a visit to the Alps to track wolves

Ecologist Pádraic Fogarty enjoys a close-to-nature experience where wolves are thriving thanks to legal protections and natural rewilding

Mon, 15 Apr, 2024

Badger sow and cubs

S Wildlife crime is a real crime and a serious problem

The Wildlife Act dates to 1976 and was last amended in 2000. It’s a weak law that needs updating — something the Government itself has acknowledged

Sun, 24 Mar, 2024

Conservation rewards system needs to work for farmers if it is to actually work

Conservation rewards system needs to work for farmers if it is to actually work

Increasing numbers of farmers are participating in eco-schemes and this is critical to their success and to repairing the damage done to the Irish countryside in the last 50 years

Thu, 25 Jan, 2024

Life and learning on a Connemara seashore — including a bird autopsy

Life and learning on a Connemara seashore — including a bird autopsy

Discovering so much information about otters, spotted ray, and guillemots while walking West of Ireland beaches

Wed, 24 Jan, 2024

Donal Hickey: Welcome protection for seabirds but locals need consulting

Donal Hickey: Welcome protection for seabirds but locals need consulting

The seas off Wexford now become our largest Special Protection Area. The 20 species to be protected at the site include some of our rarest and most threatened birds

Thu, 18 Jan, 2024