Ronald Surgenor
Ulster Wildlife is calling upon fans of our flora and fauna to make 2025 their ‘wildest year yet’ as it works to tackle the biodiversity crisis in Northern Ireland.
“We know nature here is in trouble, with 1 in 9 species facing the threat of extinction”, says Rosemary Mulholland, Head of Nature Recovery at Ulster Wildlife.
“The devastating images we see from Lough Neagh are the face of this crisis, and we need wildlife champions more than ever to help protect the nature they love.”
Male barn owl with its distinctive heart-shaped face in a local woodland in December 2024. Credit: Ronald Surgenor
The local nature charity is leading on efforts to recover some of Northern Ireland’s most beloved wildlife, including barn owls, red squirrels and hedgehogs, and is managing 18 nature reserves around the country – the equivalent of 1,190 football pitches – to create space for nature to bounce back.
“In recent years, we have seen the highest number of known barn-owl chicks fledged and recorded red squirrels and pine martens in more woodlands than ever before”, says Rosemary.
“Our reserves are vibrant and vital havens for nature, from rare butterflies and fungi to globally threatened seabirds like kittiwakes. They offer a lot of hope, but there is so much more that we can and need to do to avert a crisis for our local wildlife.”
