# Nature

Last week

12th March 2023 - 18th March 2023

The Bee Guy: It's Mother's Day soon, so let's pause and thank the original mother - this planet

Paul Handrick of The Bee Sanctuary pays tribute to his late mother and the way she inspired him to champion biodiversity.

9.2k

Mar 13th 2023, 9:30 PM

This month

March 2023

# Drop the shears

Public reminded not to cut hedges from today to protect nesting birds

The annual summer ban comes into force comes into force today until the end of August.

17.6k

Mar 1st 2023, 7:46 AM

Last month

February 2023

THE MORNING LEAD

Ireland fares worst at managing protected nature sites in new EU report

A report by

Niall Sargent

Out of 10 countries, Ireland underperformed in every measure aimed at protecting at-risk species such as the curlew and corncrake.

Report examined the effectiveness of measures to protect vulnerable species in Special Protection Areas (SPAs)

No Irish case had targeted, measurable and time-bound conservation measures to deliver the favourable status of species

"Incomplete and/or irregular” monitoring of many species also found

11.9k

Feb 2nd 2023, 12:05 AM

This year

2023

# Nature

Assembly on biodiversity calls on Government to reassess aims of Coillte at final meeting

The assembly’s conclusions so far include that the State has “comprehensively failed” on biodiversity.

16.3k

Updated

Jan 22nd 2023, 12:39 PM

# Greenland

Study finds Greenland ice sheet is at its warmest level in past 1,000 years

Findings suggest between 2001 and 2011 the ice sheet was on average 1.5C warmer than during the 20th century.

6.2k

Jan 18th 2023, 4:33 PM

Last year

2022

Voices

Malcolm Noonan: It's not enough to watch threatened species struggle to survive

The Green Party TD looks at the agreement at Cop 15 Biodiversity conference in Canada and says time is running out for nature.

7.3k

Updated

Dec 20th 2022, 8:56 PM

# Research

Fossil ‘overturns more than a century of knowledge about origin of modern birds’

Each of the roughly 11,000 species of birds on Earth today is classified into one of two groups, based on the arrangement of their palate bones.

20.4k

Nov 30th 2022, 9:43 PM

# Nature

Citizens' Assembly on biodiversity to hear from Dr Jane Goodall at final meeting

The assembly will send recommendations to the government on how to solve the biodiversity emergency.

8.4k

Nov 26th 2022, 6:45 AM

# peat sake

Commission warns Ireland over ‘stalled’ action to halt extraction in protected peatlands

The State has two months to act or potentially face legal action before the European Court of Justice.

9.4k

Sep 30th 2022, 11:53 AM

# Climate

Leaves fall early in UK after heatwave as experts warn of Ireland's vulnerability

The Devon Wildlife Trust said it has observed signs of ‘false autumn’ at 60 nature reserves.

63.9k

Aug 27th 2022, 7:00 AM

Voices

Opinion: Rivers are our last true wilderness in Ireland

Author John Connell writes about how a canoe trip in lockdown showed him the importance of the country’s waterways.

14.7k

Jun 18th 2022, 7:00 AM

Voices

The Bee Guy: Diary of a mother bumble bee stuck at the window

Paul Handrick charts the story of that one bee you hear tapping at the window to get out, and he asks us to help her escape.

21.5k

Apr 18th 2022, 9:00 PM

Voices

The Bee Guy: The girls are back in town - tips for helping the bumblebee queens

Paul Handrick has some helpful advice for keeping queen bumblebees alive if you see them in trouble.

29.9k

Mar 26th 2022, 8:00 AM

# ring-necked parakeets

BirdWatch Ireland calls for reports of invasive parrot species after sightings in Dublin park

The birds have been spotted in Griffith Park in Drumcondra.

66.3k

Feb 19th 2022, 8:00 PM

# Emergency

Taoiseach to bring proposal to Cabinet to form citizens' assembly on biodiversity

Campaigners have been waiting for the assembly to be called since a biodiversity emergency was declared in 2019.

5.4k

Feb 2nd 2022, 3:47 PM

# lough rea

Egyptian vulture spotted in Co Roscommon

The male bird was first observed yesterday morning by the National Parks and Wildlife Services warden.

55.8k

Jan 1st 2022, 5:10 PM

All time

THE MORNING LEAD

Crackdown sees 50 cases launched against illegal hedge cutting this year

A report by

Niall Sargent

Action by National Parks and Wildlife Service this year represents huge increase; only 70 cases were taken across the whole previous decade.

Huge crackdown on illegal cutting during bird nesting season over the past two years, writes Niall Sargent of Noteworthy

Since 2020, the wildlife service has taken as many cases to court as it did between 2010 and 2019

Over €45,000 was paid by guilty parties in fines, costs and donations to charities this year alone

44.4k

Dec 20th 2021, 12:05 AM

# Nature

'It is urgent': 'Frustration' that still no date set for Citizens' Assembly on biodiversity

The 2020 Programme for Government committed to progressing an assembly on this topic.

This planned Citizens' Assembly is currently "under discussion at a senior level" between two government departments.

Environmentalists have said it's "frustrating" to still be awaiting a timeline for the assembly.

Ireland declared a climate and biodiversity emergency in 2019.

5.2k

Oct 12th 2021, 12:05 AM

# cash cow

A win for farming, a win for nature: scheming for sustainability

Farm subsidies to protect biodiversity need to be channelled into results-led projects.

16.7k

Oct 8th 2021, 7:00 AM

# red list

Komodo dragon and two in five shark species in danger of becoming extinct

About 28% of the 138,000 species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature are now at risk of vanishing.

16.9k

Sep 4th 2021, 3:45 PM

# Biodiversity

Funding failure: Most of Ireland's biodiversity spend goes on schemes that have little impact

Ireland’s overall spending on biodiversity protection is also under internationally-accepted levels.

14.2k

Aug 28th 2021, 9:15 AM

THE MORNING LEAD

Loss of Ireland's biodiversity is accelerating - and we're missing the chance to halt it

A report by

Niall Sargent

Noteworthy reveals virtually no protected sites have management plans and Ireland is moving further away from a target for effective nature conservation.

A host of iconic Irish species and habitats are under threat, writes Niall Sargent in first part of Noteworthy's investigation into biodiversity loss

Virtually none of our protected nature areas have management plans

An expert forum has labelled the State as the “biggest transgressor of environmental law in Ireland”

25.8k

Aug 27th 2021, 12:05 AM

# ah petal

Quiz: How much do you know about flowers?

Test your knowledge.

55.2k

Apr 24th 2021, 10:00 PM

Voices

Merlin Sheldrake: 'Fungi are metabolic wizards - they can explore, scavenge and salvage ingeniously'

The biologist and writer shares an extract from his book Entangled Life.

9.6k

Apr 17th 2021, 8:30 AM

# Nature

Almost 50% increase in Irish birds on endangered list following 'alarming' population declines

One in four birds is now on the so-called red list.

17.1k

Apr 15th 2021, 8:13 AM

# Shear Force

'Whole ditches disappearing overnight': hedgerows falling foul to larger farms

Noteworthy finds biodiversity in a battle with some farming practices – and a low level of accountability demanded by the Department of Agriculture.

76.3k

Feb 22nd 2021, 8:30 PM

# Shear Force

3,000 kilometres cut in three years: Ireland's hedgerow heritage at risk

Noteworthy discovers rich hedgerow resource cut back by local authorities during bird nesting season.

47.2k

Feb 22nd 2021, 12:05 AM

# Nature

Human activity sends wildlife into ‘freefall’ with 66% drop in global populations since 1970

Charity WWF is calling for national laws to stop the impact of human activity on nature.

13.5k

Sep 10th 2020, 11:21 AM

# Good eyes

Spiders, sharks and science: The best pictures from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards

The photos come from the almost 50,000 entries to the Natural History Museum’s competition.

22.1k

Sep 1st 2020, 8:31 PM

# Biodiversity

Reduce mowing and phasing out chemicals: Dublin City Council's plans for 'wilding' of landscape

The council said that many parks, and all playgrounds, are now chemical-free.

44.3k

Apr 25th 2020, 12:30 PM

# Nature

Over 500 plant species became extinct in the past 250 years, new study finds

A new study has found that plant extinction is occurring up to 500 times faster than ‘natural’ rates.

7.9k

Jun 11th 2019, 10:37 AM

# Bee on the lookout

A new survey is asking people to report sightings of wild honey bee colonies in Ireland this summer

The survey is the first of its kind in Europe.

28.3k

May 24th 2019, 7:00 AM

# extinction

'We're in trouble': Landmark UN report details unprecedented decline in nature

Over one million animal and plant species are now at risk of extinction.

25.1k

May 6th 2019, 12:54 PM

# Photography

These breathtaking photos are up for the National Geographic Travel Photo of the Year

The contest carries a $7,500 first prize.

68.1k

Apr 21st 2019, 9:15 PM

# Photography

These stunning photos are up for the National Geographic Travel Photo of the Year

Entries are still being accepted.

33.9k

Mar 31st 2019, 10:30 AM

# Nature

Petition accusing councils of cutting down too many trees reaches over 5,500 signatures

The petition wants councils to stop cutting down trees in public spaces without informing the public.

20.5k

Mar 9th 2019, 7:30 AM

# laws of attraction

Butterflies are genetically wired to choose a mate that looks just like them

Male butterflies show a preference for females that have similar markings.

7.4k

Feb 9th 2019, 6:00 PM

Voices

Ireland in a Snapshot: Shooting a music video in the Wicklow woods

I was honoured to be asked to shoot a music video for artist David Rooney, best known for his unique illustrations, I didn’t realise he had a hidden talent as a singer, writes Donal Moloney.

19.4k

Dec 8th 2018, 9:00 PM