Smart Farming – saving money and the environment
Each month, an IFA Smart Farming Case Study is published in The Irish Farmers Journal, showing how farmers can save [...]
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Articles by category
Ireland is buzzing as 68 organisations come together to save our Bees – All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020
Irish farmers growing strawberries, tomatoes, apples or oilseed rape know how important pollinators are. Without them they see greatly reduced [...]
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Time to get real about addressing climate change impacts
After years of denial, procrastination and inaction, the time has arrived to get real about the impacts of a changing [...]
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Community response arrests the spread of Invasive Species in Kilkenny
The spread of the Invasive species Himalayan Balsam has been the target of a community intervention along the River Nore [...]
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Celebrate Water Heritage Day – Sunday August 27th 2017
Heritage Week runs from 19th – 27th August 2017 providing opportunities to get outside and discover the wonders of our [...]
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The Lough Derg Native Fish Biodiversity Project: unlocking our hidden underwater biodiversity through a locally led large scale citizen science project
Ireland’s freshwater fish fauna represent some the most unique aspects of our native biodiversity. Unlike some of our other “native [...]
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The Catchment Services Concept – A means of connecting and progressing Water Framework Directive and biodiversity requirements in the context of ‘Sustainable Intensification’ of agriculture, and climate change
Achieving successful management of our water and biodiversity resources in the context of both the Food Harvest 2020 strategy and [...]
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The impact of nutrient reduction measures on the health of Irish estuarine systems
Nutrient over-enrichment in estuaries and coasts due to human activity is a widely recognised global phenomenon. These ecosystems can respond [...]
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Ecosystem hydrology: utilizing the functional ecology of forests and wetlands – Acknowledging the benefits of multiple land use
Recently published findings in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) ‘State of the World’s Forests’ report, suggest that fostering [...]
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Sustainable Intensification – Integral Integration
Sustainability is generally regarded as meeting our needs today without compromising those of future generations. We are all becoming increasingly [...]
Read MoreWho is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our waterbodies.
This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office.
Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4829 waterbodies, looking at trends and changes and determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives and measures for each.
Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government
The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures that will be implemented after public consultation, and sign off by the Minister.