Sitka planting and biodiversity
Anyone who has walked into a dense plantation of non-native spruce would find certain assertions hard to believe
Biodiversity
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
Light pollution is surprisingly straightforward to fix when communities work together
A Co Mayo community has achieved results that are both visually striking and ecologically responsible
‘I’m not out to kill foxes’: Hunting splits rural community as St Stephen’s Day chase held
Meath landowner says this month’s defeat of Bill on banning foxhunting was ‘diabolical’
‘It’s like Noah’s Ark’: The man saving every native seed in Ireland
Darren Reidy has been researching and gathering native seeds across the country since 2022
Advisers concerned by lack of funding commitment for nature restoration plan
Plan is to be published in draft form for public consultation early next year
Let’s be ambitious for a plan to establish a real record of the majestic Shannon’s condition
If 14 countries can come together to understand the Danube, surely Ireland can do the same for a far shorter river?
Underwater photography: Every dive offers extraordinary encounters
Nigel Motyer has dived all over the world, but capturing moments in our own waters has given him an opportunity to show just how vibrant and remarkable our coastline is
Glen of the Downs nature reserve could expand after NPWS acquires large parcel of forestry land
‘We hope to see the National Parks & Wildlife Service resourcing an ambitious native woodland restoration project,’ says Irish Wildlife Trust
Nature shows us the world is what we perceive it to be
It is possible to be upside down and downside up at the same time
Cop30: as the window for meaningful action narrows fast, the stakes couldn’t be higher
Every year of delay locks in greater risk, higher costs and more irreversible damage
From snake bites to moth colonies: There’s shocking intensity to Australia’s natural world
I try to nurture a sense of awe in the face of Australia’s alien (to me) natural world. But I miss the wet ferns in the Kerry rain
RTÉ receives formal complaint over ‘exclusion’ of climate issues from presidential debates
Letter signed by academics, NGOs and medics alleges breach of public service obligations
‘This was twice their size’: How Ireland’s war on Asian hornets started in a beer garden
Public responded well to Asian hornet alert but tougher regulations and better education needed
Building nature into construction is the new challenge for developers
Projects aim to show how ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity can become the norm in the built environment
Old Irish goats should be carefully managed to avoid over-grazing
Without a culling programme, it is only a matter of time before the population gets out of hand
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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