Photo: NASA Goddard, Sunny Day in Ireland (Some rights reserved)
Planeta.com is updating our guide to Wild Ireland – the island’s biodiversity, wildlife, parks and protected areas and the opportunities for ecotourism, conscious, local, Indigenous, and responsible travel. Relevant additions and suggestions are welcome.
Headlines
Irish biodiversity crisis: ‘You’ve got more of a say than just going to the bottle bank’
Parks
Ireland has 6 National Parks and 78 Nature Reserves designated under the Wildlife Acts, 1976 and 2000 and various older Acts. All the National Parks and the majority of the reserves are owned by the State. The National Parks and Wildlife Service manages parks and reserves for the benefit of future generations. Ireland’s nature reserves are scattered throughout the country, mostly in rural areas although one, North Bull Island, is within Dublin. Five of the National Parks are on the western seaboard, with one in the east, just south of Dublin city.
National Parks – Department of the Environment
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Ballycroy National Park was established in November 1998, it is Ireland’s sixth National Park and is located on the Western seaboard in northwest Mayo.
Killarney National Park
Glenveagh National Park
Connemara National Park
Wicklow Mountains National Park
The Burren National Park
Killarney National Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killarney_National_Park
http://www.killarneynationalpark.ie –
https://www.facebook.com/KNPEC –
@KNPEduCentre
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/call-for-killarney-national-park-to-lose-biosphere-status-1.2919200
Calls to end Killarney’s Unesco status due to lack of conservation – Irish Examiner
@irishexaminer
@irishwildlife
TripAdvisor
National Parks & Wildlife Service sites
- Ballycroy, County Mayo National Park – www.ballycroynationalpark.ie
- BurrenLIFE – www.BurrenLIFE.com
- The Burren National Park – www.burrennationalpark.ie
- Connemara National Park – www.connemaranationalpark.ie
- Coole Park, Co. Galway – www.coolepark.ie
- Glengarriff Nature Reserve – www.glengarriffnaturereserve.ie
- Glenveagh National Park – www.glenveaghnationalpark.ie
- World Heritage Ireland – www.worldheritageireland.ie
- Heritage Week – www.heritageweek.ie
- Irish National Biodiversity Research Platform – www.biodiversityresearch.ie
- Killarney National Park – www.killarneynationalpark.ie
- North Midland Education Centre – www.northmidlandseducationcentre.ie
- Roadkill Survey 2007 – www.biology.ie
- Wexford Wildfowl Reserve – www.wexfordwildfowlreserve.ie
- Wicklow Mountains National Park – www.wicklowmountainsnationalpark.ie
- Invasive Species Ireland – www.invasivespeciesireland.com
For a more complete list of wildlife links go to www.npws.ie/links
Lough Boora Parklands is a wetlands in the centre of Ireland, created from previously cut-away bog. Bord na Móna, the state-owned company for exploiting bogs for turf (a fuel) has now turned Lough Boora into a wildlife reserve which, it is hoped, will soon become Ireland’s 7th National Park.
Skellig Michael
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skellig_Michael
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/757
http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/skellig-michael
Biosphere reserves
http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/europe-n/Irelandmap.htm
North Bull Island
http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=IRE+01
Killarney
http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=IRE+02
misc
Sustainable land use management for the conservation of freshwater pearl mussel Project acronym: LIFE Kerry (KerryLIFE)
http://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/kerrylife/LIFE13-NAT-IE-000144-Final-Application-NF.pdf
Native Woodland Strategy is Launched
For the first time, a national Native Woodland Strategy 2016-2020 has been published, which sets out a comprehensive, multi-sector vision for Ireland’s native woodlands, and a chartered course for realising that vision. [more]
Download the Native Woodland Strategy 2016-2020 PDF
Environment
Greenbox
Greenme
Sustainable Ireland
Cultivate Centre Media
Department of the Environment
Ireland’s Biodiversity a Multi-billion Euro Asset – Department of the Environment
Tree Council
Biodiversity Watch
I Spy Nature
Irish Peatland Conservation Council
Sustainable Ireland
The Woodland League
Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
http://www.iwdg.ie
Facebook
@IWDGnews
Wikipedia
Ireland
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