The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Unit is involved in assessing the ecological health of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. We work with our partners to ensure that the information we collect can be used to improve our knowledge and understanding of Ireland’s aquatic environment.
Irish farmers growing strawberries, tomatoes, apples or oilseed rape know how important pollinators are. Without them they see greatly reduced […]
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The spread of the Invasive species Himalayan Balsam has been the target of a community intervention along the River Nore […]
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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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Achieving successful management of our water and biodiversity resources in the context of both the Food Harvest 2020 strategy and […]
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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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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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Sustainability is generally regarded as meeting our needs today without compromising those of future generations. We are all becoming increasingly […]
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This is the story of Enda Fields and his lifelong interest in his local water environment. Enda has a long […]
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The Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) was transposed into Irish law in 2008. Its objective is to improve the protection of […]
Read MoreQuite 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 water bodies.
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 Programme.
The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.
The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.
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 to protect and restore our waters.