A new population of the rare Great Yellow Bumblebee, a species threatened with extinction in Ireland, was found in the Burren in July. Also found were previously unknown colonies of both the Shrill carder bee and the Red shanked carder bee, two other very rare species of bee. These were some of the exciting finds from a weekend BeeBlitz in the Burren, organised by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. ‘These new populations are very significant as they confirm that the Burren is one of the principal sites for Bumblebee conservation in Ireland’, said Dr. Una Fitzpatrick Ecologist with the Data Centre.

The first ever BeeBlitz of its kind was organised by Dr. Fitzpatrick over the weekend of 23-25 July to survey for bumblebees which are currently under threat of extinction in Ireland. The event brought together 22 of Ireland’s leading bee specialists to undertake detailed systematic surveys of the region to determine the status of some of Ireland’s rarest bees. The data collected as part of this Blitz will contribute toward the Bees of Ireland national database, hosted by the Data Centre and will provide valuable information to assist the conservation of bees in Ireland.

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Ireland is now one of fifteen European countries working together towards the better understanding of European butterflies. The Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme has collaborated with European colleagues to produce a report to the European Environment Agency assessing butterflies across Europe. The report shows that butterfly populations have declined by almost 70% across Europe since 1990. The report concludes that the main driver is the change in rural land use.

This is an exciting development for the Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, a scheme coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Compiling data at a European scale provides far greater information on the factors impacting upon butterfly populations and facilitates prioritization of appropriate conservation measures at both the national and European level. One interesting result of this collaboration has been a new understanding of the painted lady butterfly – in particular the extraordinary migration recorded last year in Ireland. By bringing the data together from the various European countries, we have traced the journey of this butterfly in 2009 from northern Africa across Europe.

Link to the report:

http://www.bc-europe.org/upload/VS2010-010%20European%20Butterfly%20Indicator%201990-2009.pdf

Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme website:

http://irishbutterflymonitoringscheme.biodiversityireland.ie/

As part of Ireland’s contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity, the National Biodiversity Data Centre is hosting a major meeting of scientists and recorders on 26th & 27th August to provide an overview on the state of knowledge on Ireland’s biodiversity in 2010. The event will provide a major benchmark on the current state of biodiversity knowledge in Ireland, and will identify the major knowledge gaps that still exist.

If you wish to contribute to the identification of knowledge gaps but are unable to attend the meeting you can contribute your view through an online survey available at http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/home-page/biodiversity-knowledge-quest/

This survey provides an opportunity for you to identify knowledge gaps within particular taxonomic groups. There are 8 questions in total, relating to possible knowledge gaps within a range of areas; from lack of recognised Irish checklists to monitoring, policy and capacity building requirements.  Surveys should be submitted before the 24th August, so that they can be used to inform the discussion at workshops during the 26-27th August meeting which will review the state of knowledge on Ireland’s biological diversity and set priorities for 2020.

A review of the state of knowledge on Ireland’s biological diversity

Review of the state of knowledge on Ireland's biodiversity

Ireland has agreed a conservation target to halt biodiversity loss by 2010. Over the last decade our knowledge on Ireland’s biological diversity has expanded greatly, yet we still don’t even know how many species there are in Ireland, where they are distributed and how their populations are changing. This will be the subject of a major meeting of scientists and recorders organised by the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Waterford on 26th & 27th August, as part of Ireland’s contribution to International Year of Biodiversity 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

A new and exciting collaboration between CEDaR in Northern Ireland and the National Biodiversity Data Centre has resulted in an innovative website on Ireland’s biodiversity MolluscIreland. Drawing on resources and skills from both Centres, this website has been designed and hosted by CEDaR with dynamic maps for each species being delivered by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. “We are delighted to be collaborating so closely with our Northern Ireland counterparts” explains Dr. Liam Lysaght, “and this project is an important resource for improving access to information on Irish molluscs both north and south of the border”. The recent all-Ireland red list considered one third of our snails, slugs and bivalves to be under threat of extinction. This new website will help deliver information on the ecology and distribution of these animals and aid their conservation.

The European Network on Invasive Species (NOBANIS) workshop on developing an Early Warning System for Europe was hosted by the Data Centre in Waterford 1st & 2nd June 2010. Part of the meeting involved a presentation on the Early Warning System already in place in Ireland and feedback received from the delegates was very positive. 24 representatives from 16 European countries and the European Environmental Agency drew on their experience of existing initiatives to agree recommendations for an effective pan-European early warning framework to tackle the threat posed by invasive species in Europe. The recommendations from this meeting will be presented to the European Commission tomorrow for consideration.

A formal report of the workshop will be shortly available at www.NOBANIS.org

There was hectic recording activity over the last hour. Despite the late bust of activity from Coole Park, the winners are Connemara National Park. The total of 542 species recorded at Connemara National Park over the last 24-hour period is an amazing tally. Connemara National Park is therefore crowned BioBlitz 2010 Champions.

More in depth analysis will be provided later.

Thanks to every who participated and made event such a success.

Master Tally Update 5pm

Fota Tally Update 5pm

Wicklow Tally Update 5pm

Connemara Tally Update 5pm

Glenveagh Tally Update 5pm

Coole Park Tally Update 5pm

Newbridge Tally Update 5pm

Tree Identification walk

Some pictures of the goings on at Connemara’s BioBlitz this afternoon.

Scientist busy identifying last few species

Sean Nos dancing

More to the Ash than meets the eye

What is that Bryophyte asks Rory

Coole Kids

Pictured are some very happy kids recording water bugs on a glorious BioBlitz day at Coole Park.

Connemara has extended its lead over Coole Park having recorded 34 more species. Newbridge Demesne has maintained its narrow lead over Glenveagh National Park. Wicklow Mountains National Park has just moved passed the Fota Wildlife Park total, but due to a technical hitch the 3 pm tally from Fota has not been received.

Tension is mounting as we move towards the last hour of recording. The race to be crowned BioBlitz 2010 champions ends at 5pm. Final result will be posted on the website around 5.20pm.

Master Tally Update 3pm

Connemara Tally Update 3pm

Glenveagh Tally Update 3pm

Newbridge Tally Update 3pm

Wicklow Tally Update 3pm

Coole Park Tally Update 3pm