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Our Impact

Since 1975, Vincent Wildlife Trust has been making a difference to some of Britain's and Ireland's threatened mammals through sound scientific research and innovative conservation solutions.

Making a difference

Dedicated pine marten information site the first in Ireland
Species Action Plan for lesser horseshoe bats the first in Ireland
Safeguarding reserves for lesser horseshoe bats 12

VWT delivers evidence-led recovery of threatened species

  • VWT reserves safeguard more than 25% of the lesser horseshoe bat population in Ireland.
  • Working in collaboration, VWT Ireland has secured the first ever Species Action Plan for lesser horseshoe bats.
  • By working with citizen scientists across the island of Ireland, VWT Ireland has increased the number of submitted sightings for Irish stoat to 816.
  • VWT’s focus on conservation through species recovery increases and maintains species richness, which in turn contributes to maintaining biodiversity and wider ecosystem resilience. Our work is in collaboration and partnership to increase lesser horseshoe bat population diversity and resilience.

VWT conducts research to advance and assess our conservation actions, publishing our work in peer reviewed journals and guidebooks for access by conservation scientists and practitioners

  • Since 2020, VWT staff and students have published or contributed to 40 peer reviewed papers.
  • Since 2020, VWT staff have produced 35 reports, practitioner handbooks and books.
  • Since the 1990s, more than 20 VWT-supported PhD students have conducted their research with us, advancing their conservation practitioner knowledge alongside their academic development.

VWT works in partnership to increase conservation impact

  • VWT engages with volunteers and citizen scientists — in 2024 generating 816 validated records for Irish stoat for the Irish Stoat Citizen Science Survey.
  • VWT works with local councils and authorities to improve the outcome for lesser horseshoe bats.
  • VWT develops training sessions for NPWS staff to improve pine marten and human coexistence.

Photo: Lesser horseshoe bat ©Ruth Hanniffy

Watch out for VWT's Impact Report — Fifty Years of Making a Difference to Threatened Mammals

The Impact Report is due to be published in November 2025. 

Photo: Irish stoat ©Ruth Hanniffy