December 18th, 2019 EU fisheries Ministers have agreed to set various fisheries quota levels above scientifically suggested levels and will fail to meet their own legal deadline to end overfishing by 2020. The EU AGRIFISH Council meeting closed in Brussels this morning following all-night negotiations as is typical in recent Read more…
July 16th, 2019 The Minister for Heritage has announced that she will not proceed with regulations that would have allowed for roadside hedge cutting this August on a trial basis. Josepha Madigan said that she made the decision in recognition of the need to protect Irish nature and biodiversity. Hedge Read more…
Next Monday’s EU level fisheries negotiations will be a litmus test of the Irish Government’s commitment to ending overfishing, writes Fintan Kelly If you have an interest in the ongoing saga around overfishing in Europe, then this is the time of year when the hammer strikes the anvil. Throughout November Read more…
July 14th, 2018 Leading conservation groups have called on the Government to urgently limit trawling within Irish coastal waters due to the negative environmental and economic impacts caused. Responding to a public consultation on trawling activity inside the six nautical mile zone, the groups noted various environmental and economic risks Read more…
February 6th, 2018 There is a growing concern among conservation groups for the future of the endangered Corncrake as new data points to a further decline in the number of calling males on our island. Once commonly recognised by its distinctive call, the corncrake has experienced a significant drop in Read more…
December 13th, 2017 The European Council has set 2018 quotas for the main commercial fish stocks in the Atlantic and the North Sea following protracted negotiations into the early hours of this morning. After a record-breaking forty-seven hours of debate, the Council announced that 53 fish stocks will be set Read more…
November 10th, 2017 The environmental and economic downsides of overfishing in Ireland and the opportunities for sustainable fisheries were explored at an event in Dublin yesterday. The Seabed to Seabird event was organized by BirdWatch Ireland (BWI) in collaboration with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Read more…
November 2nd, 2017 Sharks, vultures, and lions are just some of the migratory species that are now protected globally following the signing of new international legislation at last week’s Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). The 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Convention met in the Read more…
October 25th, 2017 Illegal hunting continues to be a major threat to Europe’s biodiversity with millions of birds being killed each year, a new wildlife conservation report reveals. Research for the new report was led by BirdLife International with input from scientists across Europe, including experts from Birdwatch Ireland. The report Read more…
May 10th, 2017 Almost half of all gorse fires since the start of the prohibited period on 1 March 2017 were deliberately started, the Minister of Agriculture announced yesterday evening. Minister Creed’s comments come after a series of large fires raged over the last week. Various fire brigades, together with Read more…