The Vincent Wildlife Trust

In Ireland, the Vincent Wildlife Trust has been involved in surveying a range of mammals, beginning with the first Irish national survey of the otter undertaken in the early 1980s, a series of regional surveys for the lesser horseshoe bat during the years 1994 – 2003 and more recently a pilot study on the Irish stoat in County Galway.

The Vincent Wildlife Trust has been playing a key role in bat conservation in the Republic of Ireland since 1991. Between the years 1991-1994, in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Trust funded a full-time Bat Conservation Officer, based in Galway city, but who traveled throughout the country promoting bat education and conservation measures.

The Trust has maintained a permanent presence in Ireland since 1995. VWT staff work independently but are in close liaison with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The majority of our work is centered on the bat species in Ireland and in particular the lesser horseshoe bat.

The work Vincent Wildlife Trust currently focuses on:

  • Creating and managing reserves for the lesser horseshoe bat
  • Coordinating summer and winter surveys of the lesser horseshoe bat throughout its range
  • Promoting bat conservation & research through lectures, walks, articles, radio, and television
  • Offering bat-related advice to the general public, local authorities, consultants and professional groups
  • Their current MISE project is developing non-invasive DNA-based techniques to monitor small and medium sized mammals in and around Waterford and in areas of west Wales.

To make an enquiry, contact Vincent Wildlife Trust or make a donation.