The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) had grim news to report to Brussels recently. The status of 90 per cent of Ireland’s ecosystems designated as specially important by the EU’s Habitats Directive is “unfavourable”. More than half of them are described as “unfavourable/bad”, and 51 per cent of them remain on a downward trajectory. This outcome is symptomatic of the State’s ongoing failure to recognise the core importance to national well-being of natural infrastructure. Understanding this would enable the public to recognise the latest NPWS report as the wake-up call to a national emergency.

Source: The Irish Times January 01, 2026 20:48 UTC