Organisation: NPWS

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Organisation: NPWS

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Coillte Greener Future 2024 Rossacroo Forest - Autumn season</p>

S outdoors

Kerry 'bat cave' is the perfect hangout thanks to extensive makeover

From customised doors to 'unwelcome' mats for unwanted visitors the renovated cottage is now a perfect bat roost

<p>The mink eradication programme is Ireland’s first large-scale attempt to remove the invasive American Mink (Neovison vison) from a designated area. Led collaboratively by the Breeding Waders EIP and the National Association of Regional Game Councils, and supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the programme aims to safeguard vulnerable ground-nesting birds and native wildlife by tackling one of their most significant predators.</p>

outdoors

Donal Hickey: Mink eradication pilot programme underway in the Midlands

<p>Wood sanicle and hazel line a wooded path leading to Cahercommaun fort. Picture: Burren National Park / NPWS </p>

S outdoors

The Burren: a magical place — but with eco pressures such as goat grazing

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

S outdoors

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

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

S outdoors

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

Peregrine Falcon chick born in Cork city — and another hopefully on the way

outdoors

Peregrine Falcon chick born in Cork city — and another hopefully on the way

Anja Murray: Spring migration is tough enough — here's how we can help

Anja Murray: Spring migration is tough enough — here's how we can help

And volunteers are needed now for The Countryside Bird Survey... the data collected is how we track the changes in populations of our common and widespread birds over time

Wed, 05 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

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

Donal Hickey: With a sliver of opportunity and a helping hand, life finds a way

Donal Hickey: With a sliver of opportunity and a helping hand, life finds a way

Priority actions for the new NPWS/Coillte deal will include a focus on protected habitats such as raised and blanket bog, heaths and wetlands, lakes and rivers, and for threatened species such as freshwater pearl mussel, hen harrier, merlin, and breeding waders

Thu, 26 Sep, 2024

Gardaí probe alleged animal welfare issues at Dublin Zoo

Gardaí probe alleged animal welfare issues at Dublin Zoo

The new allegations follow a previous protected disclosure made by a whistleblower at the zoo in 2022 which were investigated but not upheld

Tue, 18 Jun, 2024

Anja Murray: Cuckoos and climate change

Anja Murray: Cuckoos and climate change

Judging by the data yielded by the satellite tracking project, summer droughts in southern Europe, the result of accelerating climate change, have been having a major impact on cuckoo survival

Wed, 08 May, 2024

Donal Hickey: We'll hear cuckoos any day now — or have you already?

Donal Hickey: We'll hear cuckoos any day now — or have you already?

Satellite-tracked cuckoos should be coming 'home' from Africa very soon

Thu, 11 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

Cork barn owl population on the increase

Cork barn owl population on the increase

Barn owls have been recorded in numbers not seen in County Cork in the past 50 years

Wed, 31 Jan, 2024

National parks to be expanded under new biodiversity plan

National parks to be expanded under new biodiversity plan

Ireland's new National Biodiversity Action Plan is backed up by legislation to protect and restore nature

Thu, 25 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

Queen's Belfast squirrel study

Anja Murray: Our rarest native mammal — the pine marten — is making a comeback

This recovery of pine martens is a result of legal protection, a ban on the use of the poison strychnine, and an increase in tree cover across the country

Wed, 03 Jan, 2024

NPWS sought 42 prosecutions this year in crackdown on wildlife crime

NPWS sought 42 prosecutions this year in crackdown on wildlife crime

With 33 convictions this year and the appointment of extra rangers, minister Malcolm Noonan says Ireland's response to wildlife crime is being strengthened

Sun, 10 Dec, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Kerry's muddy Derrymore is very valuable on a global scale

Islands of Ireland: Kerry's muddy Derrymore is very valuable on a global scale

Derrymore Island is a haven for migrating birds and acts as a natural carbon sink. Coastal wetlands outperform even tropical forests for carbon capture

Fri, 08 Dec, 2023

Curlew (Numenius arquata)

Curlew numbers on the rise — thanks to seven years of a conservation programme

It had been feared that the bird was headed for extinction in Ireland but latest figures show that a major conservation effort has had some success

Wed, 29 Nov, 2023

From 30,000 acorns to mighty oaks — with luck and a little help

From 30,000 acorns to mighty oaks — with luck and a little help

National Park and Wildlife Service Outdoor staff in Killarney National Park painstakingly sowed 31,375 acorns, under the supervision of Horticulturalist Gerry Murphy and Gardener Stephen Moore

Mon, 27 Nov, 2023

Man installing thermal roof insulation layer - using mineral wool panels. Attic renovation and insulation concept

Bolstered retrofitting among environmental groups' key budget demands

The Environmental Pillar also called for more staffing for the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the face of the national and global biodiversity crisis.

Mon, 09 Oct, 2023

From Dungarvan to Africa — one of the Osprey chicks released here has arrived in Morocco

From Dungarvan to Africa — one of the Osprey chicks released here has arrived in Morocco

Significant achievement for Osprey Reintroduction Programme as chick arrives in Africa

Thu, 28 Sep, 2023

Conor Pass: State is only willing to pay less than half asking price

Conor Pass: State is only willing to pay less than half asking price

Just 6km from Dingle, the Conor Pass is widely regarded as one of the most panoramic driving routes in Ireland

Mon, 18 Sep, 2023

Online safety reforms

Irish Examiner view: Democracy under threat on social media

These media giants cannot merely shrug off content creators who deliberately use their sites to spread disinformation

Tue, 29 Aug, 2023

First osprey chicks released into wild after over a century of extinction

First osprey chicks released into wild after over a century of extinction

In the wake of its success reintroducing the white-tailed eagle, the NPWS is releasing 50 osprey chicks into the wild in Ireland over the next five years

Mon, 28 Aug, 2023

Pádraic Fogarty: Sheep farming hits the end of the road

S Pádraic Fogarty: Sheep farming hits the end of the road

There are alternatives to 'sheep wrecked' landscapes, writes ecologist Pádraic Fogarty

Tue, 01 Aug, 2023

Donal Hickey: What happens to coursed hares when they are released?

Donal Hickey: What happens to coursed hares when they are released?

40 hares were tracked using GPS-radio collars for six months in an effort to test the impact of coursing and their movement to a different, often unfamiliar, location

Thu, 20 Jul, 2023

Donal Hickey: Spotted any otters? Pop the details on this survey...

Donal Hickey: Spotted any otters? Pop the details on this survey...

A study of the River Bride, in Blackpool, found the otter is well-adapted to city life and is an important urban species

Thu, 13 Jul, 2023

Bog Lands

Donal Hickey: Drones and satellites to monitor Irish bogs and identify peatland areas under threat

CeADAR, Ireland’s centre for applied artificial intelligence, is exploring how AI can monitor and protect our peatlands and boost biodiversity through restoration.

Thu, 29 Jun, 2023

White tailed eagle reintroduction programme

Five new chicks hatched by Co Clare white-tailed eagles

'We are delighted to see this eagle that we know well form a new bond and start a new family' said Eamonn Meskell of the NPWS

Mon, 05 Jun, 2023

Red Grouse Male with flared red eyebrows stood in blooming purple heather. Facing left.

Donal Hickey: Does hunting birds on a conservation list make sense?

A public consultation on the open seasons order is now underway so you can have your say on this issue — link in this article

Thu, 20 Apr, 2023

Donal Hickey: Poisoning is a widespread wildlife crime

Donal Hickey: Poisoning is a widespread wildlife crime

Illegal poisons are still in use here — and they're the main cause of untimely deaths of birds of prey here

Thu, 02 Mar, 2023

COP27 Net Zero Rules

Antonio Guterres tells Cop 15: People have become weapons of mass destruction

'The deluded dreams of billionaires aside, there is no Planet B', he said in his opening remarks on the climate and nature crisis.

Thu, 08 Dec, 2022

Concerns raised over impact of safety measures on Skellig Michael on birds and wildlife

Concerns raised over impact of safety measures on Skellig Michael on birds and wildlife

OPW safety works, after a rockfall at the Unesco world heritage site, has raised concerns among bird and wildlife advocates.

Wed, 22 Jun, 2022

Intensive land use 'a bigger driver of biodiversity loss than climate change'

Intensive land use 'a bigger driver of biodiversity loss than climate change'

Intensive use of land is actually a bigger driver of biodiversity loss than the effects of climate change, with dramatic increases in the past 60 years.

Fri, 10 Jun, 2022

'Day of hope' for nature with €55m package announced for parks and wildlife

'Day of hope' for nature with €55m package announced for parks and wildlife

Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan admitted he was surprised at just how much reform was needed when he was appointed to his position.

Thu, 05 May, 2022

Padraig Hoare: New package for NPWS a victory for nature and Noonan alike

Padraig Hoare: New package for NPWS a victory for nature and Noonan alike

The announcement of a €55m package for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) should finally give it the respect it deserves, as well as a personal victory for Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan.

Wed, 04 May, 2022

wild deer at sunset

Parks and wildlife services 'neglected for decades', scathing report finds

Underinvestment and long-term political apathy have left the sector struggling

Thu, 30 Dec, 2021

NPWS commissions survey on fires' devastating impact on Killarney National Park

NPWS commissions survey on fires' devastating impact on Killarney National Park

The Parks and Wildlife Service has issued a tender for the comprehensive survey of the impacts on lands burned over the past four decades

Thu, 22 Jul, 2021

Probe into washed up seals in Cork as gunshot theory is dismissed

Probe into washed up seals in Cork as gunshot theory is dismissed

Concerns had been raised locally that the seal had been the victim of a gunshot

Mon, 15 Feb, 2021

Irish Examiner view: Time to consider a single wildlife agency

Irish Examiner view: Time to consider a single wildlife agency

Review of NPWS is essential and all groups with a commitment to environmental and conservation wellbeing should contribute to it and thereby add to the momentum it initiates.

Sat, 06 Feb, 2021

Beach parties 'putting sensitive coastal landscape at risk'

Beach parties 'putting sensitive coastal landscape at risk'

Beach parties are putting an environmentally sensitive coastal landscape at risk.

Tue, 07 Jul, 2020

Seahorses, snakes, and wildcat teeth seized by customs

Seahorses, snakes, and wildcat teeth seized by customs

More than two dozen dead seahorses, two desiccated snakes and a pair of alligator heads were among the bizarre items that people unsuccessfully tried to smuggle into the country through airports and mail centres last year.

Mon, 06 Jul, 2020

Eagles wing their way into Kerry airport from Norway as part of reintroduction programme

Eagles wing their way into Kerry airport from Norway as part of reintroduction programme

The eagle has landed again: 10 white-tailed sea eagles flew quietly into Kerry from Norway shortly before lunchtime on Friday.

Fri, 26 Jun, 2020

Drones being used to fight wildfires over the summer

Drones being used to fight wildfires over the summer

Drones are being deployed by Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to combat the spread of forest and wildfires over the summer.

Tue, 02 Jun, 2020

Donal Hickey: Our parks need boost of green energy

Donal Hickey: Our parks need boost of green energy

One of the good things emerging from the coronavirus crisis is that so many people have come to appreciate the value of parks, open public spaces, forests and walks in wild areas.

Sun, 31 May, 2020

Irish Examiner View: Protecting wildlife effectively

Irish Examiner View: Protecting wildlife effectively

This may not be the optimal moment to argue that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) be made an independent agency or that its powers be enhanced.

Tue, 19 May, 2020

Trust calls for 'wildlife crime unit' after mass buzzard poisoning in Cork

Trust calls for 'wildlife crime unit' after mass buzzard poisoning in Cork

Conservationists have called for tough new laws and the creation of a wildlife crime unit following the mass poisoning of 22 buzzards, a protected bird species, in West Cork.

Tue, 12 May, 2020