Sustainability - Biodiversity - Irish Examiner

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BIODIVERSITY IN ACTION

Sustainability collection highlighting content that relates to protection of our natural world and human life.

BIODIVERSITY IN ACTION

Sustainability collection highlighting content that relates to protection of our natural world and human life.

<p>Some plants go to sleep at night, opening their petals with the morning sun and closing them again at dusk. Oxalis, often called the sleeping plant, folds both its leaves and flowers every evening before reopening the next morning. Picture: iStock</p>

outdoors

Opening hours: Why some plants open by day and close at night

Plants are constantly sensing, responding, and adapting to the world around them. They track time, detect light, react to temperature, and coordinate with insects in ways that are surprisingly sophisticated

<p>Specialised contractors will survey the affected area along sections of the Toem, Cappawhite and Cahernahallia tributaries of the upper Mulkear/Dead River catchment in the Cappawhite area and plan treatment. </p>

farming

Local authority restarts giant hogweed control programme in Tipperary

<p>New radar technology will use 'wingbeat signatures' to identify pollinator species.</p>

farming

New radar technology could be critical for tracking pollinators

Rivers of Munster: Suir 'probably the reason Clonmel exists in the first place'

spotlight

Rivers of Munster: Suir 'probably the reason Clonmel exists in the first place'

Rivers of Munster: The Feale's influence on the town of Listowel is clear

spotlight

Rivers of Munster: The Feale's influence on the town of Listowel is clear

Meet the Irish electrician turning rubbish into renewable energy devices

spotlight

Meet the Irish electrician turning rubbish into renewable energy devices

Age-old question: What are the factors behind a long life?

Age-old question: What are the factors behind a long life?

Why do some individuals die much sooner than others, despite belonging to the same gene pool and facing similar life challenges? What lifestyle factors, if any, influence life-expectancy?

Sat, 02 May, 2026

Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin: People care about losing the natural world — politics must catch up

Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin: People care about losing the natural world — politics must catch up

Our Independent Advisory Committee on nature restoration found that the Irish public cares deeply about its natural environment and its links to our heritage and culture — people feel the nature-related losses of recent decades acutely

Thu, 30 Apr, 2026

Children's book highlights 'the most misunderstood tree in Ireland', bodies claim

Children's book highlights 'the most misunderstood tree in Ireland', bodies claim

The promoters say Sitka spruce helps Ireland produce its own timber for housing, fencing, packaging, energy and other daily needs

Tue, 28 Apr, 2026

Sprucing up the truth: Schools should not be a battleground for vested interests

Sprucing up the truth: Schools should not be a battleground for vested interests

As public awareness of the negative impacts of industrial forestry has grown, so too has the sector’s efforts to reshape the narrative with stunts like the deeply misleading booklet given to primary school children

Tue, 28 Apr, 2026

€20.8m cross-border nature restoration project launched

€20.8m cross-border nature restoration project launched

The newly launched PeacePlus Nature project aims to reverse the decline of key priority species and habitats across 23 sites in Northern Ireland and border counties

Mon, 27 Apr, 2026

Solar power: Sunny April weather sees butterflies take flight

Solar power: Sunny April weather sees butterflies take flight

Whether on the farm, in the garden, or the council-owned and managed open spaces, every patch of green space can play a role in helping butterflies and biodiversity, mainly by facilitating native flowering plants

Sat, 25 Apr, 2026

Department has no control over school book about tree that doesn't sustain Ireland's ecology

Department has no control over school book about tree that doesn't sustain Ireland's ecology

The book about the Sitka Spruce, which was sent to all primary schools last week, also features a foreword by former forestry minister Michael Healy-Rae expressing 'hope' that the story will help the reader 'see forests in a new way'

Wed, 22 Apr, 2026

Short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) in the thickets of sea grass Zostera. Black Sea. Odessa bay.

Anja Murray: Ireland’s seahorses and the seagrass meadows they call home

A rarely-sighted seahorse washed up on Ballynamona Strand recently is a small reminder of the richness of our coastal waters and the urgent need to protect habitats while there’s still something to protect

Sat, 18 Apr, 2026

King of the hills: Going wild about our old Irish goats

King of the hills: Going wild about our old Irish goats

A romantic outlaw from farmed civilisation, the Irish goat has managed to survive and maintain its identity for six thousand years

Thu, 16 Apr, 2026

Deep cup birds nest of the robin with hatchlings newly hatched nestlings crying for food

Minister asks farmers to protect hedgerows

Safeguard nesting birds by observing the annual vegetation cutting ban from March to August, and understand your legal duties under the Wildlife Act.

Tue, 14 Apr, 2026

Night Map of Ireland with City Lights Illumination

Sky Matters: Artificial light at night is adversely affecting our planet

Despite a growing awareness of the issues around artificial lighting, there is no sign that action is being taken on the scale at which it needs to occur

Sat, 04 Apr, 2026

Fields of Ireland

Public warned not to cut hedgerows during bird nesting season

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has also issued updated guidance for landowners, outlining their legal responsibilities.

Fri, 03 Apr, 2026

Portrait of an American Mink ((Mustela vison) in the Rain

Being cruel to be kind: Rathlin Island finally a ferret-free zone

Introduced to the island to control the rat population there, the alien ferrets became more rat-like than the rats and took to killing seabirds

Fri, 03 Apr, 2026

Bumble Bee

The many ways to be a wild bee — and what we can do to help them

Taking action for wild bees and other wildlife is a powerful way to engage with the wondrous world of wildlife all around us

Thu, 26 Mar, 2026

large school of mackerel

Mackerel boats ‘full to the chin’ no more as quota down by over 70%

Foreign fishers are usually blamed for gross over-exploitation of our stocks. As with many other species, mackerel around our coast are also diminishing because of overfishing

Thu, 19 Mar, 2026

wetland scenery

For peat's sake: We cannot afford to let the damage to our wetlands continue

Amid widespread calls for extensive peatland restoration, that horticultural peat mining is continuing unabated in Ireland is a baffling scenario and one which cannot be allowed continue, writes Anja Murray

Wed, 18 Mar, 2026

Close-up image of Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) perched on seaside black, hard plastic dumpster refuse bin, scavenging fish a

Same species, different city: Is nature losing its local accent?

Human activity is reshuffling biodiversity globally, allowing a relatively small group of adaptable species to spread widely, while more specialised species decline

Sat, 14 Mar, 2026

Possible avian flu concern after 11 dead swans discovered at Loughaderra lake in east Cork

Possible avian flu concern after 11 dead swans discovered at Loughaderra lake in east Cork

'This is a biohazard,' said Proinsias Ó Tuama of Clean Coasts Ballynamona, who reported the find to the Department of Agriculture

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

Fresh Potato Harvest

Spring is in the air — here's how you can take biodiversity action from your garden

With spring in the air, more people are getting out into the garden and keeping wildlife in mind by opting for eco-friendly and organic products

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

Undervalued and overlooked: Scrub is nature’s way of rewilding — here's how

Undervalued and overlooked: Scrub is nature’s way of rewilding — here's how

Whatever the type of landscape, scrub habitats are just as significant as more celebrated hedgerows, offering a similar suite of benefits

Wed, 11 Mar, 2026

Winter weather Feb 16th 2026

Ireland’s seasonal identity crisis — what is it and how can we adjust?

It’s March. The daffodils are out, the evenings are getting longer, and winter is officially over. Or is it ...?

Fri, 06 Mar, 2026

Cainism may help restore eagle numbers in Ireland — here's how

Cainism may help restore eagle numbers in Ireland — here's how

Eagles can’t afford to raise two siblings here and so a form of siblicide observed in youngsters may ironically help Irish restoration

Thu, 05 Mar, 2026

Country Diary Archive : Western European hedgehog

Hedgehogs are waking up from their long winter slumber but they cannot move about as they need

In March, hedgehogs are waking up from hibernation and will soon begin venturing out from their cosy nests in search of food

Wed, 04 Mar, 2026

Rotational heather burn

Senators call on ministers to unblock burn permits to farmers

Senator Eileen Lynch, Cork North-West, said controlled burning, when carried out responsibly and at the correct time of year, is a well-established land management practice

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Interactive map showcases Shannon Estuary's wildlife and how to best protect it

Interactive map showcases Shannon Estuary's wildlife and how to best protect it

The Shannon Estuary has been internationally recognised for its wildlife, as it sees many waterbirds travel thousands of kilometres from Greenland and Iceland to winter there

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026