The programme was initiated in 1999 by the Forest in Schools programmes in Norway, Sweden and Finland in cooperation with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and rolled out in the spring of 2000. Today, the Learning about Ecosystems and Forests (LEAF) programme is coordinated by FEE at an international level. The programme is well-recognised internationally, with over twenty countries from around the world participating. The programme aligns itself with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the Global Action Programme (GAP) and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce runs the LEAF programme nationally. Through interactive learning and field trips the programme reconnects the next generation with their environment, educating them to be more conscious of protecting it and instilling in students a sense of ownership of the natural world that surrounds them. Coillte’s Curragh Chase Forest Park in County Limerick will be used as a fantastic natural resource and focal point for off-site training and events in the South-West region. The park, which is managed by Coillte, covers 313 hectares of mixed woodlands, park land and lakes, providing a rich habitat for a diverse range of animals and plants. The LEAF Limerick project has been made possible with a grant from JS Greene Memorial Foundation.