About Us Our Mission Our Mission Founded in 1948, An Taisce is one of Ireland’s oldest and largest environmental organisations. An Taisce is an independent charity that works to preserve and protect Ireland's natural and built heritage. Mission To protect and celebrate Ireland's natural and built environment for present and future generations, and to ensure Ireland leads the way in defending a liveable planet. Vision An Ireland where our environment, natural and built, is actively prioritised and a lasting legacy of sustainability and resilience is ensured. Values Acting with integrity, leadership and courage. Relying on the best available science. Promoting inclusion and community participation at all levels. Strategic Pillars An Taisce's work falls into six strategic pillars under three broad categories. The shared nature of the pillars and their goals reflects the increasingly integrated nature of how An Taisce operates. The work of our education and advocacy teams, for example, is in service of strategic goals that fall under multiple pillars. The six strategic pillars are grouped under three broad categories: Nature, Built Environment and People. Nature — covered at large scale by Climate and Biodiversity, and at a more local level by Land and Water Built Environment with Heritage — covering the importance of the past, and Planning addressing the present and future of our lived environments People with Community and Society — covering how we work with external stakeholder groups and Organisation, covering An Taisce's internally focused operations. Strategic Goals Nature Climate and Biodiversity: an urgent and effective Irish response to the climate and biodiversity emergencies Land and Water: healthy ecology, prosperous rural society and national food security Built Environment Heritage: the safeguarding of Ireland's architectural and archeological heritage Planning: sustainable and people-centred urban and rural communities People Community and Society: meaningful behavioural change driven by connections with nature and the built environment Organisation: a robust and secure long-term future for Ireland's national trust Memberships, collaborations and partnerships We work closely with other environmental organisations around the country. We are part of the Irish Environmental Network and the Environmental Pillar. Internationally, we are a member of the International National Trusts Organisation and the European Environmental Bureau. We are also the Irish member of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a global organisation of over 70 nations which is recognised as a world leader in education for sustainable development and environmental education. Non-Political Affiliation Our members are all ages and come from all walks of life. The one thing we have in common is our concern for the environment and a shared passion to protect nature and our natural heritage.An Taisce has a charitable purpose only. An Taisce engages in political activities or promotes a political cause only where that relates directly to the advancement of our charitable purpose. It does not endorse any political party or candidate. Political Contributions An Taisce is a nominating body on the Cultural and Heritage Vocational Panel for Seanad Éireann. We put out a call for suitably qualified candidates for Seanad General Election selection 2025 and there was a lot of interest. An Taisce Council voted to select Éanna Ní Lamhna as our nominee. During the campaign, An Taisce promoted Éanna's life-long alignment with our values and mission, and we proudly donated €1,000 in kind to support her. In accordance with the guidance note (Feb 2018) issued by the Charities Regulator under section 14 of the Charities Act 2009, An Taisce has a charitable purpose only. An Taisce engages in political activities or promotes a political cause only where that relates directly to the advancement of our charitable purpose. Further information: An Taisce Annual Report 2024 An Taisce Annual Report 2023 An Taisce Strategic Plan 2023-2026 President's address to the 2024 AGM Annual Reports dating back to 1999 can be downloaded via this link. Manage Cookie Preferences