And pioneering communities across the country are reinstating habitats and restoring rivers, wetlands, bogs, and woodlands

I consider our connection with nature to be core to how we cope with all that’s wrong with the world today

A farmer who has stopped using rodenticide discovered his farm actually has fewer rats — the owls are doing a better job of controlling rodents than the rat poison

Beautiful, intelligent and benign animals - badgers and their cubs are a protected species

Greater Skellig hot spot included in same league as the Galápagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef

And their bodies change from transparent to brown to silver to blend in along their journeys

Birds that rely on winter stubble in the fields for food and shelter will suffer as new Government regulations say stubble must be ploughed into the ground

Research has shown that Ivy protects walls from heat, cold, salt, frost, and pollution — so is often more helpful than harmful to heritage structures

And when it comes to 'love', it is the female who assesses all the factors and makes the final choice of mate

Quality outdoor clothing is always welcome for those who spend time in nature — warm and rain-resistant is key

Here are some native trees that are particularly suited to gardens or urban planting

Seals have historically been persecuted because they eat fish and have been perceived to be ‘in competition' with human fishers

Here are some ways to help manage distressing feelings arising from the climate situation

We need good biodiversity data to address the global biodiversity crisis. Information leads to action, at least in principle

We've been given information, we've been given warnings, we've been given leeway but the scandal is that we still fail to value and protect the fragile ecosystems of our bogs

At this time of year, with restrictions on cutting lifted, many hedges are flailed to within an inch of their lives. Cutting too hard, too often, too low, or at the wrong time of year will all weaken the hedge over time

The seas where salmon mature and the rivers that they have been returning to for thousands of years have now been utterly transformed by human activity

There are more than 500 different species of seaweed growing along the 3,000 kilometres of our coastline — and now is a perfect time to explore these from the shore or by snorkelling at high tide

A major global report says it's official that the dominant global focus on short-term profits and economic growth is now degrading nature faster than at any other point in human history

Birch trees were among the first to thrive here after the Ice Age and transformed Ireland's tundra into a richly wooded landscape

Every local authority in Ireland will have a biodiversity officer within three years but it’s up to each of us to get involved, spend time in nature, forge connections, and demand that those in power step up to the challenges at hand

Ecosystem engineers — sea anemones, barnacles, and more — all find places to make a home in the bustling high-rise living reef

Colourful, charismatic dragonflies and damselflies are on the wing now

Often described as one of the jewels in the crown of Irish biodiversity

We are the first generation that has a clear understanding of just how much the world depends on nature, and we are also the last generation that can act to reverse the trend

The good news is that there is still time to save many species from extinction

A mature leafy tree can produce enough oxygen for 10 people to inhale in a year and during rush hour, trees significantly reduce highly hazardous substances in the air

Restoring bogs has enormous benefits for biodiversity, including for many species that are nearing extinction here because of the drainage and loss of most of the peat bogs over the past 50 years

While filling out the census, ecologist Anja Murray wonders what kind of world we are leaving for our descendants

Let it grow: One-third of the 98 wild bee species here are at risk of extinction, so every wildflower counts

Ecologist Anja Murray explains why nature is at the heart of our psychological wellbeing

White-tailed eagles in Ireland are once again a great source of pride, as well as an asset to the local economy

Ecologist Anja Murray writes about the decline of Ireland’s semi-natural grasslands

Climate change and biodiversity loss are not separate problems, writes Anja Murray

If we stop killing life in the sea and do more to protect it, then ocean life could be restored within a generation

We have 100 different species of bees in Ireland, and we know that more than half of these have suffered substantial declines since 1980

Ecologist Anja Murray discusses the changing times of Ireland’s peat bogs

Many native woodlands, such as those rich in hazel, are a natural ally in both mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change