Coillte ordered to stop felling at forest over fears for oak trees
Department of Agriculture issues order to cease work to allow investigation of felling licence
Biodiversity
‘Sting suits’ bought and warnings issued as jellyfish ‘bloom’ in coastal waters
Swimmers in Seapoint, Dublin, are ‘well used’ to stings but some now use ‘sting suits’
The Curragh is full of natural treasures. It needs safeguarding
The need for conservation measures on the Co Kildare plains has been recognised for 30 years
‘The deer are the elephant in the room’: Is a Phoenix Park cull the best way forward?
As beloved as the deer are, conservation and biodiversity require us to look at the bigger picture, argues one nature advocacy officer
The low budget pollinator project that grew wings and created real change
Low-budget, highly ambitious project to restore populations of critical insects fast became a top nature-positive initiative
‘I was in my garden with my camera when three crows started to attack a buzzard’
Your wildlife notes and queries for Éanna Ní Lamhna
‘Structured messiness’: How a pilot project brought four housing schemes back to nature
Fingal’s biodiversity officer says planting blackberry brambles starts a chain reaction that benefits wildlife and the entire community
Cross-Border commitment crucial in nursing Ireland’s ailing lakes back to health
In the Republic, there has been unrelenting deterioration of lakes, rivers and estuaries
A look at Dublin Bay’s ‘completely unique’ biosphere
In 2015, Unesco extended the reserve to the entirety of Dublin Bay, including Ireland’s Eye, which has 9,000 pairs of breeding seabirds across 11 different species
Ireland needs stronger deterrents against deliberately starting wildfires, ecologist says
Government must commit in next budget to adequately funding nature restoration, Pádraic Fogarty says
Looking after our hedgerows will look after our farms, nature and climate
Older farmers tell of regrets at being encouraged to remove hedgerows under misguided policies
Nature’s climate controllers help city-dwellers cope with rising heat
Trees ‘sweat’ so that people don’t have to
A devastating disease is spreading among Irish songbirds
Songbirds hit by a contagious infection are being found dead on bird tables and in gardens after last-gasp efforts to feed
In pictures: Biodiversity Photographer of the Year winners 2026
All the winning images from this years Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition
Ireland’s Greenest Places: Why we want to salute Net Zero Heroes
As the deadline to nominate people and places in the second Ireland’s Greenest Places competition approaches, we take a look at some of those already in the running
‘There would be no life on Earth without plants ... We need to keep reminding ourselves of that’
Noeleen Smyth is the first female director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland
Pollution has led to huge drop in salmon and trout numbers in Ireland, Oireachtas to hear
‘Salmonids’ decline serves as a warning that wider ecological deterioration is occurring,’ Angling Council of Ireland says
Ireland’s Greenest Places: Community is the catalyst that can create change
Shining a light on people working together to protect and restore our natural enviromnent is a key function of this year’s competition
Hare coursing should not need to be debated, just ended
If ever there was a case for a conscience vote in the Dáil, this is it
The source of much of our ecocide is ironic: food production
We create food to sustain us, while systematically destroying the environment that sustains us
Hedgerow biodiversity is under threat from Ireland’s heavy-handed policy approach
Current practices and policies are having a profoundly negative impact
Humans, not cats, have systematically destroyed habitats and damaged the environment
Wildlife conservation deserves serious debate, not convenient scapegoats
Rules must accommodate nature while building 50,000 homes a year
Plans for 300,000 housing units by 2030 could be hugely destructive to biodiversity. Supporting long-term ecological resilience is critical
‘Kill quickly and cleanly’: How culling can help manage Ireland’s rising deer population
Reintroducing wolves and promoting venison are among other suggested ways of achieving deer prudence
Ireland’s wild bird biodiversity crisis is not down to our island status
Populations are not inherently small-scale; we have made them so
Gaza teenage sisters win award for turning rubble into reusable bricks
Donegal student gets recognition for biodegradable plastic that breaks down safely
Ireland’s mayflies are ancient creatures - older than dinosaurs by 80 million years
Ella McSweeney: In Ireland, we have about 150 species of mayflies
Bureau to tackle invasive species set up in Waterford
New strategy for managing any future occurrence of Asian hornet in Ireland also established
Members distance themselves from engineer body’s call to burn coal for electricity
Irish Academy of Engineering’s recommendations ‘not wise’, according to member and Trinity College provost
National Biodiversity Week offers 300 events outside, online and in armchairs
The annual focus on nature has workshops, talks, walks and exhibitions taking place across the country
Underfoot and overlooked: addressing our ‘broken relationship’ with soil
Dr Tancredi Caruso is associate professor in UCD’s School of Biology and Environmental Science and UCD’s Earth Institute
‘TY changed my life’: Leaving Cert student wins global prize for microplastics ‘filter’
Co Donegal student Arya Satheesh (18) developed research interest in science after her Junior Cert
Ireland is trying to fund environmental protection on the cheap
Nature restoration isn’t a luxury. It’s one of the highest-return investments available to the State
First project tracking hedgehogs in Northern Ireland aims to help protect their future
Creatures are classified as near threatened across Europe
Sitka planting and biodiversity
Anyone who has walked into a dense plantation of non-native spruce would find certain assertions hard to believe
Europe’s air temperatures becoming ‘dangerously high’, amid record heatwaves in 2025
Temperatures exceeded 30 degrees inside Arctic Circle as entire continent suffered extreme weather
Dedicated nature fund needed to save Ireland’s remaining wildlife, advisory body says
Committee makes dozens of recommendations for new national Nature Restoration Plan
One third of Ireland’s wild bee species could go extinct by 2030. You can help by taking a photograph
Bees might conjure flying through the air and feeding on flowers, but most wild bees spend part of their lives in the soil
Split opinions on Sitka spruce’s biodiversity value
Are such plantations ‘alive to all forms of native flora and fauna’ or do they ‘limit biodersity almost completely’?
The Wisdom of Farmers by John Connell: What on earth we can do to live better lives
Practical advice on how we can reconnect with nature and our community, and tackle hunger and poverty without destroying the planet
Ella McSweeney: Cornafulla Bog is a gold mine. Let’s not squander it
Siting wind infrastructure on the Shannon bogs is too high a price to pay for renewable energy
Deer pressure: I need a licence to cull
Ella McSweeney is not a natural-born killer but she will shoot deer next month for the first time. It’s for the woodlands
Appeal issued over threat to nature from fires, litter and dogs
Countryside fires increased last year and wildlife and habitats are continuing to decline
Nature and biodiversity are critical to food security - and should be national priorities
Biodiversity loss is a global threat, with the world seeing resulting crop failures, natural disasters and infectious diseases
Costa Rica gets back to nature after decades of deforestation
Paying farmers to swap cattle for conservation has helped sway the balance in biodiversity’s favour
‘We don’t have a plan’: Invasive species take hold as action lags legislation
Sitka spruce, sika deer and common garden plants are all invasive species with potential to cause harm to native varieties
Keep your front garden intact and other nature-based solutions to urban flood risks
Slowing the runoff from heavy downpours into struggling Victorian drainage systems in urban areas protects property and water quality
Is this big fella a common raven? He was very light on his feet
Eye on Nature: Eanna Ní Lamhna on roving ravens, sunbathing butterflies and spotted dogfish
‘All forms of heritage connect children to their past and help them make sense of the present’
The Heritage in Schools scheme encourages children and teachers to investigate local heritage through place-based learning
Five small ways you can help the planet in 2026
From reducing your laundry to taking slightly shorter showers, you have the power to make a difference
President Connolly voices concerns over Venezuela and upholding of international law
President speaks about ‘tremendous challenges’ facing the world as she opens Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition
Reintroducing wolves and giving contraceptives to deer among ideas for wildlife legislation
Proposals to Government for new legislation also include calls to introduce beavers and stop social media influences from ‘stressing out’ puffins
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices