Ella McSweeney

Within a few years by working with fishers an actively-managed marine park in Co Kerry could become one of the world’s most spectacular sites

They can recognise human faces and respond to our expressions. Having a ‘bird brain’ is no bad thing after all

Ella McSweeney: Since they’re pretty adept at hiding away in prickly places – think mounds of nettles, brambles or hawthorn – I’m hopeful elusive hedgehogs are still around.

A new book by Seán Ó Gaoithín tells the stories of 28 woods in Co Donegal that are deeply complex spaces full of life

A growing band of scientists and river advocates across Europe are removing barriers at a record rate, enabling fish to navigate waterways as before

Although bats will roost in all kinds of spaces – from rocks, scree slopes and exposed limestone to holes in old oaks – they tend to favour buildings

Recent contact in Donegal with the largest predator on Earth offers a rare opportunity to add to our understanding of these extraordinary creatures

The Brosna rises in Bunbrosna in Co Westmeath and flows into the midland’s highest lake, Lough Owel, north of Mullingar

Ballymacraven river may never recover from pollution that killed thousands of fish, an incident that highlights an even wider problem as the State’s water treatment infrastructure creaks under growing pressure

Only one lichen – the ‘scrambled egg lichen’ – is legally protected under the Flora Protection Order

The species was first surveyed in 1991, and wild populations were found in Wexford and Offaly. By 2006 there were just 20 pairs left

National Parks and Wildlife Service is jointly running project to find out why Ireland’s cuckoo population has decreased so much in past two decades

Possibility of extinction leaves message we cannot ignore: we have created an ecological mess

The damage to Raheenmore in Co Offaly from ammonia pollution is a warning sign of what might be ahead

From Antarctica to the east coast of Ireland, plants worldwide are blooming at unexpected times