October 25th, 2017 Elevated nutrient concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen continue to be one the most widespread water quality problem in Ireland. Nutrient losses from agriculture and domestic wastewater discharges are among the primary reasons why the water quality objectives of both the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Read more…
October 25th, 2017 The latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2016 (UWWT) published this week makes for sombre reading, with many of its findings hard to digest. Not only did investigations reveal that waste-water treatment facilities in 50 of Ireland’s 185 large towns and Read more…
October 10th, 2017 Three billion people worldwide depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, with over one billion reliant on seafood as their main source of animal protein. But the oceans face a multitude of threats, such as pollution, climate change, overfishing and criminal activities at sea. As part of Read more…
October 10th, 2017 The EU Commission has announced €550m in funding for initiatives to tackle global oceans challenges at the EU-hosted Our Ocean Conference 2017 in Malta last week. Thirty-six commitments were made, which the Commission said will intensify EU efforts towards reducing marine pollution, enlarging protected areas, reinforcing the Read more…
September 28th, 2017 Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D, has introduced a new Fisheries Natura Declaration to regulate fishing activities affecting Natura 2000 sites. Effective 30th November 2017, the use of dredge and trawling gear for scallop fishing will be restricted at Special Areas of Conservation Read more…
September 25th, 2017 On the value of Unity, Helen Keller, American author and political activist, once stated: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”. As attendance records at national events, such as the recent ‘Heritage Week’ which runs annually every August, will no doubt attest, interest in Read more…
22nd September 2017 Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is set to invest a total of €43m across 26 research projects over the next five years. The funding, which will go through the SFI’s Investigators Programme, was announced at SFI’s Award Ceremony held earlier this week at Trinity College Dublin. Six of Read more…
September 17th, 2017 The Chilean government has made a landmark international decision to make the waters around Easter Island one of the world’s largest protected marine areas. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced the decision at the Fourth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC4) held last week in Valparaiso, Chile. According Read more…
September 12th, 2017 As part of the Convergence Festival 2017, the annual sustainable community festival hosted by Cultivate, two public events are planned for Galway citizens to join in and engage with discussions on how we can act collectively to address the challenges (and opportunities) which we now face in Read more…
September 12th, 2017 Water supplies to over 700,000 consumers require improvements to meet public health standards, a new report from Ireland’s environmental watchdog has revealed. The EPA’s Drinking Water Report 2016, published today, also indicates that Trihalomethanes (THMs), lead, and pesticides continue to be the main cause of concern for Read more…
