Wildlife still under pressure

THE odd snippet of good news about nature, such as the hatching of five white-tailed eaglets, should not lull us into a believing that things are looking up for the natural world.

Recently, a State of Nature in the EU report said countries must step up efforts to protect vulnerable wildlife and habitats from the effects of human activity, as there has been little improvement in conservation since 2007.

Nearly a third of wild bird species are under threat while two-thirds of other protected species are in an unfavourable state, according to the report. And, Arts and Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys has conceded that many of our important wild habitats are under pressure.