Biodiversity

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Biodiversity

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>As hedgehogs are generally nocturnal they are not often seen in the wild unless they are found dead on roads, or if they are regular visitors to gardens at night. The Irish Hedgehog Survey is looking to receive any sightings of live or dead hedgehogs to build up a more detailed picture of where they occur. Picture: Alamy/PA</p>

outdoors

Hedgehogs getting ready for hibernation

Studies from Britain and elsewhere in Europe have found that hedgehog numbers are in steep decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation from changing farming practices and development. As the environment in Ireland is experiencing similar pressures the hedgehog population in Ireland may be similarly affected — link to study below

<p>A salmon leaps up a weir. In recent years, conservation efforts have been impressive. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire</p>

outdoors

Anja Murray: Epic migration of Atlantic salmon in jeopardy

<p>The study examined how the area and quality of natural habitats influence the populations of wild bees, bumblebees, hoverflies, and butterflies. For all species groups, this simple relationship rang true: the more natural habitat, the more pollinators in farmland areas. Habitats with more flowering plants also harbour more pollinators of all groups than areas with few flowers. Bumblebee on sunflower in Ballintemple, Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins</p>

outdoors

Stark pollinator warning: birds, bumblebees and butterflies need more habitat to survive

Rotorua, New Zealand

outdoors

What’s the story, twiggy glory... stick insects in Ireland

ladybug on a green leaf

outdoors

About one-third of insects here under threat of extinction due to pollution, intensive farming, and habitat loss

Anja Murray: Don't reject the generosity of wild self-sown flowering plants

outdoors

Anja Murray: Don't reject the generosity of wild self-sown flowering plants

Insect Portraits: Using macro photography and storytelling to showcase the grandeur of insects

Insect Portraits: Using macro photography and storytelling to showcase the grandeur of insects

If you're not already a fan of insects you will be after reading Lisa Clancy's captivating collection of portrait-style photographs and accounts that reveal the remarkable 'personalities' of (mostly) Irish insects

Sun, 06 Jul, 2025

Anja Murray: Now is your chance to visit great grassland sites across the island of Ireland

Anja Murray: Now is your chance to visit great grassland sites across the island of Ireland

Sensitive approaches, such as light grazing or a late harvest of hay, means that these wildflowers and their dependant creatures have space and time to complete their life-cycle, whether flowering and setting seed or nesting, egg laying and fledging young

Wed, 18 Jun, 2025

Hosepipe ban

Even plants that look terminally crispy can revive: How to rescue your garden after a heatwave

Our gardens took a battering lately from high temperatures. But you can repair the damage — and prepare better for next time

Tue, 20 May, 2025

big oak in the sunlight

Anja Murray: I spent an entire day in one of Ireland's ancient oak woodlands

Worth so much more than dark, lifeless industrially-managed tree plantations, we need to look after these rich ecosystems which are bathed in light and have a rich soundtrack of birdsong and pockets of primroses throughout

Wed, 14 May, 2025

Fake grass installation team

How can we save pollinators in Ireland before it's too late?

Protecting pollinators isn’t just about saving bees; it’s about safeguarding the systems that grow our food and give life to our landscapes

Fri, 09 May, 2025

eurasian skylark

Larks — nearly invisible in a sunny sky but worth listening for

'The music soars within the little lark, And the lark soars.' Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Wed, 07 May, 2025

Urban Fox

Anja Murray: Urban fox cubs a reassuring phenomenon that wild species can adapt to human sprawl

Lots of people feel affection for their neighbourhood foxes and actively encourage and feed them

Wed, 19 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

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

Urban Rooftop Terrace with Modern Design

Peter Dowdall: Green roofs can boost biodiversity and help flood alleviation

'Vertical gardens reduce the volume of water and the speed at which the rainwater enters the drainage system, decreasing the risk of flash flooding'

Fri, 21 Feb, 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

Fog and dramatic sky over a swamp with sun reflecting in a puddle

Help at hand for repairing damage to Ireland’s blanket bogs

A new manual (links below) offers practical guidance for farmers and other landowners who want to undertake restoration actions on their land

Wed, 15 Jan, 2025

Sweet success for Tipp wetlands campaign

S Sweet success for Tipp wetlands campaign

36 years on from the closure of Thurles Sugar Factory this month: lagoons created to prevent fish kills attracted water birds and became the basis of wetlands which are the biggest single area of freshwater semi-natural floodplain habitats on the River Suir

Sun, 12 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

Donal Hickey: You never know what you might find on a walk along the shorefront

Donal Hickey: You never know what you might find on a walk along the shorefront

Cargo 'leaked' from sunken shipwrecks, lost loggerhead turtles, interesting jellyfish, or maybe a message in a bottle... have all been found on Irish shores

Thu, 26 Dec, 2024

Biologists Examining Dirt and It's Acidity

Digging into why our soil is unhealthy and how we can fix it

As we are discovering the complexity and fragility of healthy soil, the importance of protecting our soils becomes ever clearer

Wed, 18 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

This mulch I know: it’s good for your garden any time of year, but particularly in winter

This mulch I know: it’s good for your garden any time of year, but particularly in winter

Whether compost, manure or wood chippings, a thick protective layer of mulch has a litany of benefits

Fri, 29 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

Vote Green!

Anja Murray: Top nature questions to raise with election hopefuls

Decisions made now will have huge impact on people, land and nature, far into the future

Wed, 06 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

Businesses to fund wildlife ponds, hedgerows and woodlands on Irish farms as part of ReFarm project

Businesses to fund wildlife ponds, hedgerows and woodlands on Irish farms as part of ReFarm project

ReFarm has already started to fund nature-positive actions and will continue to do so over the five-year period of the project

Wed, 23 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

Redwing Feeding on Fallen Apples in Orchard

Seán Ronayne: Don't let birds battle their way here to find an empty larder

Irish winters are a welcome winter 'holiday' for birds flying from Scandinavia but they need decent hedgerow meals after tough journeys across swirling seas to get here

Wed, 16 Oct, 2024

Donal Hickey: Urban allotments and community gardens growing in popularity

Donal Hickey: Urban allotments and community gardens growing in popularity

It's National Allotments and Community Gardens Week now — anyone motivated to get stuck in might be interested to know that Cork City Council has more than 50 plots for rent in Churchfield

Thu, 10 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

Weeping Willow Tree

Tree reproduction: A sappy love story, millions of years in the making, that rings true

Fifty shades of green — trees engage in intricate reproductive behaviours that are crucial for their survival

Fri, 27 Sep, 2024

Mysterious mushrooms — the largest living organism on our planet

Mysterious mushrooms — the largest living organism on our planet

There are about 20 species here that are both common and worth eating. But to stay safe, follow the basic rule of never eating a fungus that you cannot positively identify without any doubt as being an edible species

Wed, 25 Sep, 2024

Glenveagh National Park rewilding sets a new benchmark

S Glenveagh National Park rewilding sets a new benchmark

Ecologist Pádraic Fogarty examines the ambitious plans and lessons learnt so far in restoring nature in national parks

Sun, 15 Sep, 2024

Fields of Ireland

Anja Murray: Neat and tidy isn't always best when it comes to hedgerows

For all that we love our hedges, there’s a great deal of room for improvement in how well we could be managing them

Thu, 05 Sep, 2024

Pond reconstruction

Anja Murray: So many reasons to create a wildlife pond

Dig a pond and they will come — get ready to see dragonflies, frogs, whirligig beetles and more creatures

Wed, 28 Aug, 2024

Picking blackberries

Blackberries — the superfood coming to a bramble near you right about now

These berries are packed with vitamin C to help boost immunity as the autumn sets in

Wed, 21 Aug, 2024

Ring of Kerry Footpath

Anja Murray: Pretty invader is bad news for ecosystems

Vibrant orange montbretia is such a familiar sight in rural Ireland that many people assume it's a native plant — but this is an alien invasive of the highest order

Thu, 01 Aug, 2024

Responsible gardening for peak plant health

Responsible gardening for peak plant health

Simple actions such as sourcing plants from trusted home producers, avoiding taking plants, flowers and fruit back to Ireland from holidays abroad or cleaning your boots after a forest walk all contribute to maintaining plant health and biosecurity

Sun, 28 Jul, 2024

Rabbit In a Pot

Richard Collins: The original wild rabbit is endangered — so why are its domesticated descendants thriving?

An Englishman released 24 rabbits on his Australian estate in 1859. By 1920 an estimated 20 billion rabbits had colonised 70% of the country in what scientists have called "one of the biggest environmental disasters in history"

Thu, 25 Jul, 2024

Irish State should declare it is keen to see new nature reserves established — and is open to applications

S Irish State should declare it is keen to see new nature reserves established — and is open to applications

More nature reserves are needed here — on public land as well as privately-owned property, says ecologist Pádraic Fogarty

Mon, 22 Jul, 2024

Beautiful foxglove in the garden.

Donal Hickey: More wildflowers please!

A new Networks for Nature project could see more appreciation given to the wildlife value of roadside verges

Thu, 27 Jun, 2024

Climate change study

Big banks greenwashing role in financing fossil fuel firms for projects damaging Amazon — report

Report author urges banks to adopt a geographic exclusion covering all transactions involving the oil and gas sector in the Amazon to protect biodiversity of rainforest and livelihoods of indigenous peope

Tue, 11 Jun, 2024

Aerial Photo of Massey Ferguson 390T Tractor and Abbey Tanker spreading manure slurry in a field on farm in UK 09-09-23

Eoghan Daltun: Irish nature is wrecked — we need a plan to bring back what we've lost

We have turned almost the whole of Ireland into one big farm, and nature has paid an exorbitant price

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024