Partnerships

Working with partners to achieve more for mammal conservation in Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe

Partnership working

VWT recognises the importance of partnership working as a way of achieving more for wildlife than working in isolation and is working towards increasing its work within a variety of partnerships.

VWT is

scaling up connections with local communities where it is delivering work through volunteering, community and stakeholder engagement, education and citizen science;
maintaining its research collaboration with universities and research institutes to ensure conservation is evidence led;
increasing its impact and influence by sharing good practice and facilitating partners to deliver conservation action;
continuing to work with organisations who may have very different views to find common ground;
building NGO and university partnerships in Europe where its expertise can amplify conservation success.

The focus here includes skills sharing and building capacity, as well as species projects.

Photo: Training event in County Kerry for volunteers to count out lesser horseshoe bats from a VWT reserve using infra-red cameras and bat detectors.

Networking with partners

Since the 1990s VWT has been involved in surveying, monitoring and conserving mammals in Ireland by linking with and being supported by a range of organisations and networks. Its first joint project was with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and focused on creating awareness about all bat species throughout the country through surveys, exhibitions, talks and the production of educational materials. Since then, VWT has worked with NPWS to produce several reports, including an Action Plan for Vesper Bats, a report on the use of bat boxes and the Lesser horseshoe bat Species Action Plan, in addition to receiving funding for research on the Irish stoat.

VWT is a member of the Irish Environmental Network (IEN), which is a network of individual Non-Government Organisations that work individually and, as appropriate, jointly to protect and enhance the environment. VWT created an artificial hibernation roost at one of its reserves and developed the Irish Stoat Citizen Science Survey with grants from the IEN, in addition to receiving funding for its core work. Running the Irish Stoat Citizen Science Survey was achieved in partnership with the National Biodiversity Centre, Centre for Environmental and Data Recording and the University of Galway.

VWT has supported students at several third level institutions in their research on the lesser horseshoe bat, pine marten and Irish stoat. The Trust’s own research on the landscape features used by a colony of lesser horseshoe bats within a 2km radius of one of its reserves was achieved with a grant from the Heritage Council, and the Trust is now in receipt of core funding from the council for its other work.

VWT began working with local authorities in 2022 to conduct landscape modelling to identify potential pathways and barriers to movement for the lesser horseshoe bat so this information can be used to inform future planning decisions.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Vincent Wildlife Trust values diversity and is committed to supporting an equitable and inclusive culture. We want staff and volunteers to feel comfortable to be themselves and we aim to provide an environment where everyone, regardless of background or characteristics, can develop their full potential.