Starting a National Conversation on Nature through participation, place and public voice

Community Conversations was a national engagement project exploring people’s relationships with nature, ecological restoration and environmental change across Ireland. Developed by ACT in partnership with Hometree for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), the project brought together communities, stakeholders and underrepresented voices to help inform Ireland’s first Nature Restoration Plan following the adoption of the EU Nature Restoration Law in 2024.  

Delivered across 13 locations throughout Ireland between September and November 2025, the project created spaces for dialogue, reflection and participation around the future of Ireland’s landscapes, rivers, coastlines, biodiversity and ecological systems.  

Rather than approaching restoration solely as a scientific or policy challenge, Community Conversations explored nature restoration as something deeply connected to identity, memory, wellbeing, culture and place. 

A National Conversation on Nature

More than 536 people participated across 13 locations and online events throughout Ireland, contributing stories, experiences, concerns and recommendations that helped inform the national conversation around restoration and ecological transition.  

Workshops took place across all four provinces in locations including Lahinch, Iveragh, Killybegs, Askeaton, Carlingford Lough, Ballyforan, Newtownmountkennedy, Phibsborough and Ballina, alongside dedicated online workshops in Irish and English.  

The process was intentionally designed to be accessible and inclusive, using a combination of in-person workshops, outreach events, online engagement and nature-based gatherings to broaden participation and reach communities that are often underrepresented within environmental decision-making.  

Nature, Place and Lived Experience

Rather than approaching nature restoration solely as a scientific or policy challenge, Community Conversations explored nature as something deeply connected to culture, identity, memory, wellbeing and everyday life. 

Participants consistently described strong emotional relationships with landscapes, rivers, coastlines, forests and wildlife, alongside growing concern about biodiversity loss, water pollution, habitat degradation and environmental decline.  

Across the workshops, communities spoke not only about ecological loss, but also about cultural and emotional loss: the disappearance of species, landscapes and local ecological knowledge that had shaped generations of community life.  

At the same time, many participants expressed hope when nature was restored, when communities came together around stewardship and when species and habitats showed signs of recovery.  

Storytelling as a Tool for Ecological Connection

At the heart of the project was storytelling. 

Using workshops, participatory mapping, prompt cards, outreach interviews, satellite mapping exercises and roundtable discussions, the project created opportunities for people to share personal experiences, ecological memory and local knowledge connected to nature and environmental change.  

Many of the most powerful contributions emerged through stories. Participants reflected on declining fish populations, polluted rivers, changing coastlines, biodiversity loss and feelings of grief and anxiety connected to environmental degradation. Others shared stories of hope, stewardship and collective action, including community-led river clean-ups and local restoration initiatives.  

One notable story referenced “The Fairy Tree of Omeath” and the emotional impact its removal had on the local community, highlighting the deep cultural and emotional relationships people hold with landscapes and ecological heritage. The project recognised that restoration is not only ecological. It is also social, cultural and emotional. 

Engagement Through Nature

A key aspect of Community Conversations was the use of nature itself as part of the engagement process. 

Nature events, including coastal and forest walks, created opportunities for people to discuss environmental issues while directly experiencing landscapes and ecosystems together.  

This helped create a more relaxed, grounded and place-based form of participation where conversations emerged naturally through shared experience of rivers, forests, beaches and biodiversity. 

Alongside the workshops, outreach events were also used to engage people who may not traditionally attend consultation sessions. Facilitators visited public spaces, community events and local gathering points to collect views directly from residents and members of the public.  

The project also combined in-person engagement with online workshops and surveys, helping broaden access and allowing people to contribute remotely and asynchronously.  

Key Themes Emerging Across Ireland

While experiences differed across locations, a number of recurring national themes emerged consistently throughout the process.  

Communities expressed deep concern around water quality and pollution, particularly the decline of rivers, lakes and coastal waters due to agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial pollution and weak environmental enforcement.  

Participants also highlighted frustration around fragmented governance systems, under-resourced agencies and a lack of accountability in environmental protection and planning processes.  

Another strong theme was the growing difficulty many people experience in accessing nature. Participants spoke about the loss of local green spaces, unsafe walking and cycling routes, polluted waterways and the barriers that prevent equitable access to natural environments.  

At the same time, there was strong support for a more collaborative and community-led approach to nature restoration, one rooted in local knowledge, stewardship and long-term participation.  

Informing Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan

The insights gathered through Community Conversations directly informed the work of the Independent Advisory Committee supporting the development of Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan.  

The project demonstrated how participatory engagement and lived experience can meaningfully contribute to national policy development, helping ensure that environmental strategies are grounded not only in scientific evidence, but also in the realities and aspirations of communities across the country. 

Importantly, the process reinforced the idea that nature restoration is not simply an environmental programme. Participants consistently framed restoration as an opportunity to strengthen wellbeing, reconnect communities with place, rebuild trust and create a more resilient and hopeful future.  

Nature restoration as collective action

Community Conversations demonstrated that restoring nature is not only about habitats, species or environmental targets. 

It is also about relationships between people and place, community wellbeing, cultural identity and long-term stewardship. 

The project reinforced the idea that meaningful ecological transition requires not only scientific expertise and policy frameworks, but also inclusive participation, shared ownership and community-led dialogue. 

Through storytelling, place-based engagement and collective reflection, Community Conversations helped create a more human and participatory approach to environmental governance in Ireland. 

Read more about the final report

You can find the final Independent Advisory Committee on Nature Restoration Recommendations Report for Government report to read in more detail here.

RTE CountryWide Interview

If you'd like to hear us discuss the project in more detail, you can listen to the RTE Radio 1 CounrtyWide interview here.