Ireland’s BioBlitz 2014

The National Biodiversity Data Centre is delighted to announce the four sites that will be competing in this year’s Ireland’s BioBlitz which will take place on 23 & 24 May. The sites are all extremely interesting heritage sites that provide a variety of habitats and interesting biodiversity. This should make for very competitive recording this year.

The four sites are Howth Head, Co. Dublin,  Glenarm Estate, Co. Antrim, Cong/Clonbur Woodlands on the Galway/Mayo border and Derrynane Historic Property, Co. Kerry. The Data Centre is very grateful to Fingal County Council, National Museums of Northern Ireland, Coillte and the Office of Public Works who are our partners in this years event.  Please see the BioBlitz website  http://bioblitz.biodiversityireland.ie/ for further details.

The National Biodiversity Data Centre is pleased to announce an exciting new opportunity for a highly motivated person to contribute to the work of the Centre in 2014. The post provides a suitable candidate with an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in working in a leading biodiversity Data Centre, learning about all aspects of biological recording, data management and biodiversity training, while contributing in a real way to increasing our knowledge base on Ireland’s biodiversity.

Candidates must be registered with the JobBridge National Internship Scheme http://www.jobbridge.ie/.

Data Centre Internship

The JobBridge Internship will be structured to enable the successful candidate gain experience of different aspects of the work programme of the Data Centre. The focus of this year’s JobBridge will be to provide the successful applicant with detailed training in vegetation and plant recording. This will include specialised one-to-one training involving sampling river vegetation on some of Ireland’s highest quality rivers in June and July.

Other work areas will include developing content for the Data Centre’s emerging Threatened and Protected Species website,

Assisting with the public consultation element of the Invasive Species Risk Assessments, and

Assisting with management of some of the Data Centre’s national databases.

The position is offered as part of the National Internship Scheme, JobBridge. The successful candidate will be provided with, specifically:

• a deep insight into all aspects of the management of biodiversity data,
• experience of project management in a dynamic work environment,
• high quality training in specific biological recording software programmes and WordPress website content management system,
• training in monitoring programmes run by the Centre,
• opportunity to attend the extensive programme of training workshops for 2014,
• participation in the many field outings and other events organised by the Data Centre.

The position is suited to candidates with training in the natural sciences and knowledge of biodiversity data. The internship would be for 9 months duration and based at the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Waterford. Candidates should have an interest in biodiversity, good attention to detail, good computer skills, and be able to work as part of a team. The internship will work closely with the Centre’s ecologists to provide guidance and support in the delivery of the work programme. Please note that this post will involve significant amount of fieldwork and travel to attend meetings.

To apply, please send a covering letter outlining why you are interested in applying for the internship, together with a Curriculum Vitae to National Biodiversity Data Centre, Carriganore, WIT West Campus, Waterford or email info@biodiversityireland.ie. Please mark your applications Biodiversity Internship 2014. The closing date for applications is Friday 4^th April 2014.  A shortlist of suitable candidates will be made, and it is anticipated that shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview on Tuesday 15^th April.

If you wish to obtain more details about the internships contact Dr. Liam Lysaght, Director, National

Biodiversity Data Centre. Telephone: 051 306240.

PLEASE NOTE THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY 4TH APRIL AND NOT FRIDAY 21 MARCH AS STATED ON THE JOBBRIDGE WEBSITE.

JobBridge Internship 2014 (2)

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is a network of 80 participants worldwide working on an open biodiversity data infrastructure, funded by governments. It allows anyone, anywhere to access data about all types of life on Earth, shared across national boundaries via the Internet. The National Biodiversity Data Centre is Ireland’s GBIF node and contributes Irish data to the more than 400 million biodiversity records mobilised through the GBIF data portal. To find out what is happening across the network view the latest issue of Gbits, GBIF’s newsletter here.

A more detailed presentation on GBIF participation can be downloaded here.

Annual Meeting of Irish Freshwater Biologists 2014

 When: Friday 7^th March 2014

Where: University College Dublin

Organising committee: Dr Mary Kelly-Quinn (UCD), Dr Simon Harrison (UCC), Pascal Sweeney (Sweeney Consultancy), Dr Ian Donohue (TCD), Maria Walsh (National Biodiversity Data Centre).

The 2014 Annual Meeting of Irish Freshwater Biologists will feature three sessions:

Session 1: Papers on ‘Ecology of Small Waterbodies’

Papers from this session will be considered for a special issue of ‘Biology & Environment’.

Session 2: 10 minute presentations on well advanced research

Session 3: 5 minute presentations on new and ongoing research projects.

Advance registration and payment of the €20 non-refundable booking fee is necessary at:

http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/home-page/event-registration/.

Annual Meeting of Irish Freshwater Biologists_programme

New report published by National Biodiversity Data Centre finds the rate of invasion of alien species to Ireland is increasing

Invasion of alien species to Ireland is on the increase with nearly four times more seen in the wild in the last century than the previous one. Help is needed to combat their threat to our biodiversity, economy and health.

• 13% of the alien species are listed as invasive species which have a negative impact on our economy and biodiversity
• The estimated annual cost of alien species to Ireland is €261 million
• 31 identification sheets have been produced to help people identify some of the invasive species already in Ireland and others that might soon arrive
• This is a call to everyone to help prevent their introduction to Ireland and the wild and to report sightings of them.

“We all have our part to play in protecting Ireland’s biodiversity and economy” says Colette O’Flynn. She continues, “with the worrying increasing trend in invasions we must carefully consider the types of plants and animals we are bringing into the country and be sure that we do not allow the invasive species to enter into the wild”. To aid with identifying and reporting sightings of these invasive species, the National Biodiversity Data Centre has produced 31 identification sheets and supported development of the Invasives Ireland phone app by Longford County Council. Interestingly, half of the 12 invasive species recorded between 2001 and 2010 were first seen and reported by members of the public. These included reports of Siberian chipmunk, Chinese mitten-crab and Harlequin ladybird.

The report Ireland’s invasive and non-native species – trends in introductions published today by the National Biodiversity Data Centre [Thursday, February 6^th, 2014] reveals their increase in introductions to our shores and looks at new invader species which could arrive in the future. To date, the majority of invasive species in Ireland are plants, but the future trend may be towards invertebrate and vertebrate species comprising a greater percentage of all new arrivals.  Species such as Killer shrimp, Raccoon dog or the  moth.

Colette O’Flynn, one of the report’s authors notes that ‘the percentage of invasive species in Ireland is comparable to other European countries as is the dramatic recent increase in introductions which is linked to increased movement of people and goods throughout the world’.  Colette O’Flynn urges the “need for analysis to identify where the species are being introduced from and how they are getting here as they may be introduced through intentional trade or unintentional ‘hitchhiking’. Knowing this can help us see how best to prevent these species invading Ireland”.

The report also highlights that while the majority of species are found in the terrestrial environment the rate of increase in introductions is increasing for all environments with the greatest increase for the freshwater environment since 1980.  The freshwater environment is also the only environment where analysis indicates that freshwater non-native species are more likely to be high impact invaders where they are introduced.

The identification sheets can be downloaded from the National Invasive Species Database website.

Ireland’s Invasive and Non-native Species – trends in introductions report.

Ends

Irish Marine Survey

The National Biodiversity Data Centre has developed a special on-line record submission form for the recording of coastal and marine biodiversity. The Irish Marine Survey form is designed to facilitate the submission of biodiversity records collected during sea dives or foreshore surveys. The form enables information on the type and duration of dives or snorkels to be captured, in addition to documenting details of seabed and seabed cover. All species seen during the survey can be recorded using a special marine species list. Once validated, all these records will be added to the National Biodiversity Database and mapped on the Data Centre Mapping System Biodiversity Maps.

The Irish Marine Survey form can be accessed here.

The National Biodiversity Data Centre is delighted to be working with Woodlands of Ireland, The Hedge Laying Association of Ireland and their partners to host the National Hedgerow Database. The Hedgerow Appraisal System has been developed to facilitate the description and assessment of hedgerows in Ireland. The system comprises a Standard Recording Methodology to allow for consistency of recording of all hedgerow survey data, and a Method for Data Appraisal in order to maximise the value of the data collected. Taken together these contribute to the establishment of a standard accessible National Hedgerow Database.

The Hedgerow Appraisal System, the National Hedgerow Database and the National Hedgerow Database template/Survey Field Sheets are all available to download from the National Standards pages http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/biodiversity-data/national-standards/

Identifying & Recording Ireland’s Biodiversity

2014 workshop programme

2014 Workshop programme

The National Biodiversity Data Centre is pleased to announce its 2014 workshop programme which will again work towards improving identification and field skills of biological groups and raising standards of data collection and management. This year’s programme will see an increase in the geographic distribution of workshops thanks to support from partners who have generously offered to host events.  A new dimension to this year’s programme will be advanced training aimed at the professional ecologist to meet the needs of relevant Continuing Professional Development programmes. Our standard identification workshops will follow the usual format catering for the needs of beginners through to advanced.

We acknowledge the ongoing support and sponsorship from partners who make it possible to continue with this programme, in particular BirdWatch Ireland; Killarney National Park Education Centre; Lavistown House; Mill Street Country Park; MISE (Mammals in a Sustainable Environment); the National Botanic Gardens; National Parks & Wildlife Service; NUI Maynooth; University College Dublin and Seasearch Ireland.

Workshop fees will be €20 for standard workshops and €50 for those tailored to meet the needs of the professional ecologist.

Book online at: http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/home-page/event-registration/.

NB: Booking fees are non-transferable and non-refundable.

2014 Workshop Programme

Annual Meeting of Irish Freshwater Biologists 2014

 When: Friday 7^th March 2014

Where: University College Dublin

Organising committee: Dr Mary Kelly-Quinn (UCD), Dr Simon Harrison (UCC), Pascal Sweeney (Sweeney Consultancy), Dr Ian Donohue (TCD), Maria Walsh (National Biodiversity Data Centre).

The 2014 Annual Meeting of Irish Freshwater Biologists will feature three sessions:

Session 1: Papers on ‘Ecology of Small Waterbodies’

Papers from this session will be considered for a special issue of ‘Biology & Environment’.

Session 2: 15 minute presentations on well advanced research

Session 3: 5 minute presentations on new and ongoing research projects.

Advance registration and payment of the €20* non-refundable booking fee is necessary at:

http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/home-page/event-registration/.

If you’d like to give a presentation on your research please email a title and

abstract(150 words) to info@biodiversityireland.ie by the 24^th  of January 2014.

*It was necessary to increase the registration fee to cover room booking

The UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science in collaboration with the National Biodiversity Data Centre and with support from the Heritage Council will deliver a new one year course: ‘Certificate in Biological Recording and Identification’. It is the first university certificate in biological recording and identification in Ireland and is open to anyone who wishes to develop or hone their species identification skills and engage in biological recording.

The course would be ideal for staff of NGOs and the general public, especially those who are retired, but is also highly relevant to consultants, teachers and other professionals who wish to enhance existing skills and achieve university certification.

The course comprises three modules:

-          1) Approaches to biological recording for a range of taxa, the various types of data that can be collected and how they can be managed. Current initiatives in biological recording are outlined and students are given instruction in how to record data in a scientifically acceptable manner including use of appropriate computer software.

-          2)Classification and identification of a range of biological groups and terrestrial and freshwater sampling techniques. (Credit will be given for identification workshops taken at the Data Centre)

-          3)Individual project on a selected group of organisms – identification, field recording and written report.

The course will commence in January 2014 with the taught modules taking place on Friday mornings  (8 or 9 mornings from Jan to May). The project work will take place over the summer months.

The fee for the course is €2,000 however bursaries from the Heritage Council may be awarded, on application, to cover part of this fee.

This is a Level 7 course and applicants should hold a Leaving Certificate or equivalent or have other relevant experience. Applications can be made online at htt://www.ucd.ie/apply or through Dr Mary Kelly-Quinn: mary.kelly-quinn@ucd.ie. Further information can be obtained from Dr Mary Kelly-Quinn.