National Parks and Wildlife Service

07/08/2026

24/07/2026

Ranger Rory has another message for everyone!

The breeding season is starting to wind down here on Great Saltee. This is our second year running the Seabird Wardening project on the island, and we are delighted with all the hard work the wardens are doing. Our wardens are out there working with visitors every-day during the breeding season, educating visitors why these birds choose Great Saltee to raise their young and what it takes to give them a successful breeding season.

A roped cordon area and temporary signage are in place to guide visitors while the breeding season runs, giving the birds room to come and go with minimal disturbance. If you're visiting, follow the wardens' instructions, stick to the main path, and give the birds plenty of space. Puffins nest in burrows and lay just one egg per pair per season. Straying off the path risks stepping on a burrow and collapsing it, a serious threat to the colony, and one that's completely avoidable.

Puffins are the most well-known species on Great Saltee. However, there are other inhabitants including Fulmar, Gannet, Cormorant, S**g, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Kittiwake, Guillemot and Razorbill.

Thank you to all of our wardens for helping us to protect the birds, and thank you to visitors for respecting their instructions!

24/07/2026

09/07/2026

Launch of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030

On July 9th, the new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030 was launched at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, by Ireland’s Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, and Andrew Muir, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland (pictured here with Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Chief Scientific Officer for the National Biodiversity Data Centre)

Welcoming the launch, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “I warmly welcome the launch of the third phase of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan out to 2030, supported through the Government’s Shared Island Fund, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and by the Northern Ireland Executive. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has proved an enormous success over the last decade in bringing together farmers, local communities, public bodies and businesses to help conserve and create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive. I look forward to seeing the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan expand and continue this crucial work in protecting sustainable agriculture, food security, and benefitting the island’s unique and precious biodiversity.”

“Since 2015, implementation of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has been coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Thanks to action across all sectors during the first ten years of the Plan, pollinators are now in a much better position, but they still face major challenges. The 2026-2030 phase will be supported by a dedicated team of eight staff within the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Our monitoring schemes and expertise help to provide the scientific basis for evidence-based action and to identify where action will have the greatest impact for our threatened pollinators.” - Liam Lysaght, CEO, National Biodiversity Data Centre

The 2026-2030 phase of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is supported through funding from the Government of Ireland's Shared Island Fund, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency

To find out more visit https://biodiversityireland.ie/launch-of-all-ireland-pollinator-plan-2026-2030/

To find out more about the work of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, visit biodiversityireland.ie

Find out more at pollinators.ie

08/07/2026

You are invited to come along to Sonairte this Saturday for the launch of the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year Exhibition 2026!

Address: Sonairte, The Ninch, Laytown, Co. Meath, A92 D9X
Time: Open to the public from 2pm

See the prints in person this Saturday and enjoy a day out at Sonairte. Explore the 2 acre walled garden dating back to the 1800's, which has been under official organic management since 1988. Walk the nature trail and see the tidal river Nanny and the wildlife that lives there, an old meadow which has been in permanent pasture since the 19th century, and the view to Ballygarth Castle. The grounds of Sonairte also host a cafe, eco-shop, bee museum, as well as more historic sites along the nature trails that you can explore at your leisure.

Fair Seas Irish Environmental Network National Parks and Wildlife Service The Heritage Council

03/07/2026

23/06/2026

🌟 Celebrating the Volunteers Taking Action🌟

To mark day two of Invasive Species Week we're shining a light on the inspiring work being done by communities and organisations across the country to combat invasive species and protect local biodiversity.

The Himalayan Balsam Project on the River Liffey in Ballymore Eustace is a multi-annual, collaborative initiative that has become a showcase project for dealing with the significant issue of Himalayan Balsam infestations along riparian corridors. The project is now considered to be an exemplary approach leading the way in how local authorities and other public bodies, can support the management, and potentially the systematic eradication, of such invasive species infestations in public areas. This has been achieved through a collaborative and engaged approach between Kildare County Council, scientific research institutes, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and key to it all: the local community.

The many positive outputs of the project have included: the development and provision of best practice, scientific guidance for communities tackling Himalayan Balsam in the Irish context, a framework for collaborative engagement with key stakeholders in tackling invasive species infestations, habitat restoration in treated sections of the River Liffey corridor, and positive wellbeing outcomes for the individuals and community involved.

Since its inception, the project has garnered much interest with many requests to present details of the project, and so in early 2025, Kildare County Council commissioned a short video about the wonderful efforts of the community in Ballymore Eustace.
Many thanks to all who contributed to the making of this video.

Production of this video was funded by Kildare County Council, the National Biodiversity Data Centre and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The video was produced by Juanita Browne. Filming and editing was completed by Peter Cutler.

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z60UoWNBKG0

📅 Invasive Species Week Events: invasives.ie/events

💡 Other ways to : https://lnkd.in/dxbq6xsy

15/05/2026

National Biodiversity Week 15th - 24th May

Ireland’s nature and wildlife take centre stage from, with hundreds of free events across the country for National Biodiversity Week.

🐋 whale watching,
🚶 farm walks,
🦇 bat walks,
🚲️ biodiversity cycle tours,
🐄 field trips,
🍃 nature walks,
🌲 to wildlife watching and woodland workshops.

Minister Christopher O'Sullivan TD is encouraging the public to visit a National Park or Nature Reserve during National Biodiversity Week:
“Each year National Biodiversity Week gets bigger and better – and reflects a growing public appetite and interest in nature. I’m also encouraging everyone to take this opportunity to visit a National Park or Nature Reserve, to experience the full variety of incredible species and habitats that we are working to protect."

National Biodiversity Week is supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and organised by the Irish Environmental Network. Events are run by community and environmental groups, Local Authority Biodiversity Officers, and in National Parks and Nature Reserves.

https://buff.ly/Nwc9tG7

13/05/2026

There is so much to see and do during Biodiversity Week 2026. With more than 300 events planned all around the country, there is something for all the family enjoy. Check out www.biodiversityweek.ie to see what’s happening near you Irish Environmental Network National Parks and Wildlife Service The Heritage Council