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…
July 11th, 2018 English broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough recently warned that the extinction of bees will be a disaster for humankind. “If bees were to disappear from the face of the earth, humans would have just four years left to live,” Sir Attenborough said. A 2016 study in Read more…
July 5th, 2018 The controversial Heritage Bill has passed through the final stage of the Dáil last night. The Bill, which must first return to the Seanad and be signed by the President before it can become law, seeks to introduce a nationwide pilot measure allowing for managed hedge-cutting of Read more…
July 5th, 2018 There is no need to beat around the bush on this one. Last night’s passage of the Heritage Bill through the Dail marks a dark day for our wildlife, our biodiversity, and our heritage. The Bill, introduced by the former Minister for Heritage, Heather Humphreys, outlines plans Read more…
July 4th, 2018 Key elements of the controversial Heritage Bill continue to divide opinion as it returns to the Dáil for debate this week. The Bill, now entering reporting stage, outlines plans to allow for scrub burning in March and hedge cutting in August. It is currently an offence under Read more…
April 25th, 2018 An alliance of conservation NGO’s and concerned citizens gathered outside Leinster House today to protest against proposed changes in the controversial Heritage Bill. The alliance called up Minister Josepha Madigan to remove sections of the Bill that it believes threaten wildlife habitat ahead of a hearing of Read more…
March 1st, 2018 Environmental groups have stressed that the closed season for scrub-burning and hedgerow-cutting must be respected once the unprecedented snow brought by the Beast from the East lifts. The groups – including BirdWatch Ireland and An Taisce – are calling on landowners, farmers, contractors, and local authorities to Read more…
November 30th, 2017 Plans to extend the seasons for upland burning and hedge cutting under the much-debated Heritage Bill will have “devastating” consequences for our wildlife, a Committee hearing was told yesterday. The Joint Committee on Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht met yesterday to discuss the Bill after it passed Read more…
October 5th, 2017 The Government’s latest biodiversity action plan released earlier today lacks aspiration, focus and strategy, Ireland’s leading environmental coalition has said. The 2017-2021 National Biodiversity Action Plan was launched by Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys this morning at the National Botanic Gardens and outlines specific actions to protect biodiversity. Read more…
August 23rd, 2017 An unusually dry spring this year resulted in some of the most devastating wildfires in living memory, but Ireland’s ecology is facing other continuing challenges. Current rules under the Wildlife Act allow adequate time for birds to nest, but they’ve been undermined by a government which is Read more…
