Latest news with #JamesFisher
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Some wildlife 'may not return' after recurring fires
Butterflies, birds, insects and lizards are among the many species negatively affected by a spate of recent wildfires on the Mourne Mountains. There have been almost 300 such fires in Northern Ireland since 3 April. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said many were started deliberately. The National Trust manages a special area of conservation in the Mournes, "with the whole site designated specifically because of the habitat that's there", its lead ranger, James Fisher, told BBC News NI. He fears some species may not return after the wildfires. Firefighters are continuing to tackle a gorse fire at Brookeborough, County Fermanagh. On Friday, the fire service confirmed its staff attended 1,112 incidents from Thursday 3 April to Thursday 10 April, 296 of which were wildfires. Grayling and Small Heath butterflies "are really rare elsewhere so their population's going to be really impacted," Mr Fisher added. After a fire in the area in April 2021, the National Trust conducted a survey for invertebrates and found "a 90% reduction in invertebrate life" from burnt land compared to areas that remained unburnt. "They formed the basis for many of these habitats, in terms of food for the birds or for smaller mammals, or even the lizards that we find up there," he added. In the Mournes, Mr Fisher said rove beetles and other insects "support the skylarks and the meadow pipits that come from the lowlands to nest up in the uplands during this time of year". "Those birds, in turn, then provide a food source for some of the more charismatic birds, like peregrine falcons or kestrels." The mountain range has more than 50% of Northern Ireland's upland heath habitat, according to Mr Fisher. Upland heathland is characterised by the presence of low-growing shrubs, such as heather. "It's a real prime area for the only native lizard that we get in Northern Ireland - the viviparous lizard," he added. The April 2021 wildfires caused purple moor grass "to really take off" and prevented other plants, like heather, growing back. "It really changed the whole community from what we would designate an upland heathland community to an upland grassland or acid grassland community," he said. Cattle were placed in those areas to eat the grass, to try to re-establish the heath. Red grouse feed on young heather shoots and nest in the more mature heather stands. But with the fires destroying much of the vegetation in the area, Mr Fisher fears the red grouse will move out of the area, if the heather does not return. "With the time that it takes for the heather to reach maturity and to form the denser, more mature stands, the grouse just won't be able to survive there, so they won't come back," he said. Dr Neil Reid is a conservation biologist at Queen's University. He researched the impact of wildfires on the Mournes in 2011. He said those fires "covered about 10 square kilometres in a not dissimilar area to where they're burning at the moment". His research found that lots of wetland species, such as carnivorous sundews and bog asphodel, disappeared after the fires. Some birds had still not returned a year after the fire either. With wildfires seemingly happening in the Mournes every few years, Dr Reid says "it's kind of a death by a thousand cuts". "You lose a bit each time and the mountain becomes more and more impoverished, more and more grassland like and less and less wet peatland like," he added. "From the growth rate that we observed in the heather, we could extrapolate that would probably take about seven years for the heather to regain its full height again, but that doesn't mean that the ecosystem is restored. "That just means the heather has come back - a lot of those other species might never come back." Conservationist Andy Carden conducts bird breeding surveys in the Mournes twice a year. In spring, insect-eating waders arrive from Africa to nest and breed in the Mournes. "Without the insects and with burnt, blackened bare ground, they will not have the homes that they've flown here for," he said. "The ground nesting birds, like the skylarks and the meadow pipits, the wrens and stonechats, they'll have lost their nests and eggs." The area beside Bloody Bridge Valley, where firefighters tackled a two mile long fire, is a "very important" breeding ground for skylarks. He said it will be "a sad sight" when he does the next bird survey. "The habitat is just going to be destroyed," he said. "It's hard to know if there'll be any breeding going on in there at all this year. "It takes a long, long time for it to come back. "Places that have burnt a decade ago or more than that, you can tell and you can see that the vegetation is different. It hasn't come back." Hikers 'devastated' over Mourne Mountains wildfires Bloody Bridge wildfire contained as firefighters deal with others Wildfires are rural arson, says minister
BBC News
11-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Mourne Mountains wildfires could push away some species, say conservationists
Butterflies, birds, insects and lizards are among the many species negatively affected by a spate of recent wildfires on the Mourne have been almost 300 such fires in Northern Ireland since 3 Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said many were started National Trust manages a special area of conservation in the Mournes, "with the whole site designated specifically because of the habitat that's there", its lead ranger, James Fisher, told BBC News fears some species may not return after the wildfires. Firefighters are continuing to tackle a gorse fire at Brookeborough, County Friday, the fire service confirmed its staff attended 1,112 incidents from Thursday 3 April to Thursday 10 April, 296 of which were wildfires. Grayling and Small Heath butterflies "are really rare elsewhere so their population's going to be really impacted," Mr Fisher a fire in the area in April 2021, the National Trust conducted a survey for invertebrates and found "a 90% reduction in invertebrate life" from burnt land compared to areas that remained unburnt. "They formed the basis for many of these habitats, in terms of food for the birds or for smaller mammals, or even the lizards that we find up there," he the Mournes, Mr Fisher said rove beetles and other insects "support the skylarks and the meadow pipits that come from the lowlands to nest up in the uplands during this time of year"."Those birds, in turn, then provide a food source for some of the more charismatic birds, like peregrine falcons or kestrels." Upland heathland The mountain range has more than 50% of Northern Ireland's upland heath habitat, according to Mr heathland is characterised by the presence of low-growing shrubs, such as heather."It's a real prime area for the only native lizard that we get in Northern Ireland - the viviparous lizard," he added. The April 2021 wildfires caused purple moor grass "to really take off" and prevented other plants, like heather, growing back."It really changed the whole community from what we would designate an upland heathland community to an upland grassland or acid grassland community," he were placed in those areas to eat the grass, to try to re-establish the heath. Red grouse Red grouse feed on young heather shoots and nest in the more mature heather with the fires destroying much of the vegetation in the area, Mr Fisher fears the red grouse will move out of the area, if the heather does not return."With the time that it takes for the heather to reach maturity and to form the denser, more mature stands, the grouse just won't be able to survive there, so they won't come back," he said. Dr Neil Reid is a conservation biologist at Queen's researched the impact of wildfires on the Mournes in said those fires "covered about 10 square kilometres in a not dissimilar area to where they're burning at the moment".His research found that lots of wetland species, such as carnivorous sundews and bog asphodel, disappeared after the birds had still not returned a year after the fire either. 'Death by a thousand cuts' With wildfires seemingly happening in the Mournes every few years, Dr Reid says "it's kind of a death by a thousand cuts"."You lose a bit each time and the mountain becomes more and more impoverished, more and more grassland like and less and less wet peatland like," he added."From the growth rate that we observed in the heather, we could extrapolate that would probably take about seven years for the heather to regain its full height again, but that doesn't mean that the ecosystem is restored. "That just means the heather has come back - a lot of those other species might never come back." Conservationist Andy Carden conducts bird breeding surveys in the Mournes twice a spring, insect-eating waders arrive from Africa to nest and breed in the Mournes."Without the insects and with burnt, blackened bare ground, they will not have the homes that they've flown here for," he said."The ground nesting birds, like the skylarks and the meadow pipits, the wrens and stonechats, they'll have lost their nests and eggs."The area beside Bloody Bridge Valley, where firefighters tackled a two mile long fire, is a "very important" breeding ground for skylarks. He said it will be "a sad sight" when he does the next bird survey."The habitat is just going to be destroyed," he said."It's hard to know if there'll be any breeding going on in there at all this year."It takes a long, long time for it to come back."Places that have burnt a decade ago or more than that, you can tell and you can see that the vegetation is different. It hasn't come back."
TECHx
10-03-2025
- Business
- TECHx
Qlik & IDC Unveil AI Readiness Gaps Hindering Enterprise Adoption
Qlik & IDC Unveil AI Readiness Gaps Hindering Enterprise Adoption News Desk - Share Qlik®, a global data integration, data quality, analytics, and artificial intelligence company, unveiled key findings from an IDC survey that explores the challenges and opportunities organizations face in adopting advanced AI technologies. The survey highlights a significant gap between ambition and execution, revealing that while 89% of organizations have updated their data strategies to embrace Generative AI, only 26% have successfully deployed solutions at scale. The findings, shared in an IDC InfoBrief sponsored by Qlik, underscore the critical need for improved data governance, scalable infrastructure, and analytics readiness to fully unlock AI's transformative potential. As businesses globally rush to integrate AI into their workflows—AI is projected to contribute $19.9 trillion to the global economy by 2030—readiness gaps could derail progress. Organizations are increasingly focusing on building the foundational data ecosystems required for long-term success. Key Survey Findings: AI Readiness Gap: Despite 80% of organizations investing in Agentic AI workflows, only 12% feel confident that their infrastructure supports autonomous decision-making. Despite 80% of organizations investing in Agentic AI workflows, only 12% feel confident that their infrastructure supports autonomous decision-making. Data as a Strategic Asset: Organizations that treat data as a product are 7x more likely to deploy Generative AI solutions at scale, illustrating the value of curated and accountable data ecosystems. Organizations that treat data as a product are 7x more likely to deploy Generative AI solutions at scale, illustrating the value of curated and accountable data ecosystems. Embedded Analytics Growth: While 94% of organizations are embedding or planning to embed analytics into enterprise applications, only 23% have achieved integration across most of their applications. While 94% of organizations are embedding or planning to embed analytics into enterprise applications, only 23% have achieved integration across most of their applications. Generative AI's Influence: A striking 89% of organizations have revamped their data strategies in response to Generative AI, demonstrating its growing strategic impact. A striking 89% of organizations have revamped their data strategies in response to Generative AI, demonstrating its growing strategic impact. AI Integration Bottleneck: While 73% of organizations have integrated Generative AI into analytics solutions, only 29% have fully deployed these capabilities. Stewart Bond, Research VP for Data Integration and Intelligence at IDC, commented on the findings: 'Generative AI has sparked widespread excitement, but our findings reveal a significant readiness gap. Businesses must address core challenges like data accuracy and governance to ensure AI workflows deliver sustainable, scalable value.' James Fisher, Chief Strategy Officer at Qlik, added, 'AI's potential hinges on how effectively organizations manage and integrate their AI value chain. Businesses that fail to build systems for delivering trusted, actionable insights will quickly fall behind competitors moving toward scalable AI-driven innovation.' The survey emphasizes the urgency for businesses to close the gap between ambition and execution by focusing on governance, infrastructure, and leveraging data as a strategic asset. To capitalize on AI's full potential, organizations must move beyond experimentation and address foundational AI readiness gaps. With these findings, the IDC survey highlights how addressing these gaps will enable businesses to unlock the transformative power of AI, driving long-term success.
Channel Post MEA
10-03-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Only 12% of Organizations Feel Ready For Agentic AI Workflows
Qlik has announced findings from an IDC survey exploring the challenges and opportunities in adopting advanced AI technologies. The study highlights a significant gap between ambition and execution: while 89% of organizations have revamped data strategies to embrace Generative AI, only 26% have deployed solutions at scale. These results underscore the urgent need for improved data governance, scalable infrastructure, and analytics readiness to fully unlock AI's transformative potential. The findings, published in an IDC InfoBrief sponsored by Qlik, arrive as businesses worldwide race to embed AI into workflows, with AI projected to contribute $19.9 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Yet, readiness gaps threaten to derail progress. Organizations are shifting their focus from AI models to building the foundational data ecosystems necessary for long-term success. Stewart Bond, Research VP for Data Integration and Intelligence at IDC, emphasized: 'Generative AI has sparked widespread excitement, but our findings reveal a significant readiness gap. Businesses must address core challenges like data accuracy and governance to ensure AI workflows deliver sustainable, scalable value.' Without addressing these foundational issues, businesses risk falling into an 'AI scramble,' where ambition outpaces the ability to execute effectively, leaving potential value unrealized. 'AI's potential hinges on how effectively organizations manage and integrate their AI value chain,' said James Fisher, Chief Strategy Officer at Qlik. 'This research highlights a sharp divide between ambition and execution. Businesses that fail to build systems for delivering trusted, actionable insights will quickly fall behind competitors moving to scalable AI-driven innovation.' The IDC survey uncovered several critical statistics illustrating the promise and challenges of AI adoption: Agentic AI Adoption vs. Readiness: 80% of organizations are investing in Agentic AI workflows, yet only 12% feel confident their infrastructure can support autonomous decision-making. 80% of organizations are investing in Agentic AI workflows, yet only 12% feel confident their infrastructure can support autonomous decision-making. 'Data as a Product' Momentum: Organizations proficient in treating data as a product are 7x more likely to deploy Generative AI solutions at scale, emphasizing the transformative potential of curated and accountable data ecosystems. Organizations proficient in treating data as a product are 7x more likely to deploy Generative AI solutions at scale, emphasizing the transformative potential of curated and accountable data ecosystems. Embedded Analytics on the Rise: 94% of organizations are embedding or planning to embed analytics into enterprise applications, yet only 23% have achieved integration into most of their enterprise applications. 94% of organizations are embedding or planning to embed analytics into enterprise applications, yet only 23% have achieved integration into most of their enterprise applications. Generative AI's Strategic Influence: 89% of organizations have revamped their data strategies in response to Generative AI, demonstrating its transformative impact. 89% of organizations have revamped their data strategies in response to Generative AI, demonstrating its transformative impact. AI Readiness Bottleneck: Despite 73% of organizations integrating Generative AI into analytics solutions, only 29% have fully deployed these capabilities. These findings stress the urgency for companies to bridge the gap between ambition and execution, with a clear focus on governance, infrastructure, and leveraging data as a strategic asset. The IDC survey findings highlight an urgent need for businesses to move beyond experimentation and address the foundational gaps in AI readiness. By focusing on governance, infrastructure, and data integration, organizations can realize the full potential of AI technologies and drive long-term success. 0 0
Tahawul Tech
10-03-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
'AI's potential hinges on how effectively organizations manage and integrate their AI value chain,' – James Fisher, Qlik
Qlik®, a global leader in data integration, data quality, analytics, and artificial intelligence, today announced findings from an IDC survey exploring the challenges and opportunities in adopting advanced AI technologies. The study highlights a significant gap between ambition and execution: while 89% of organizations have revamped data strategies to embrace Generative AI, only 26% have deployed solutions at scale. These results underscore the urgent need for improved data governance, scalable infrastructure, and analytics readiness to fully unlock AI's transformative potential. The findings, published in an IDC InfoBrief sponsored by Qlik, arrive as businesses worldwide race to embed AI into workflows, with AI projected to contribute $19.9 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Yet, readiness gaps threaten to derail progress. Organizations are shifting their focus from AI models to building the foundational data ecosystems necessary for long-term success. Stewart Bond, Research VP for Data Integration and Intelligence at IDC, emphasized: 'Generative AI has sparked widespread excitement, but our findings reveal a significant readiness gap. Businesses must address core challenges like data accuracy and governance to ensure AI workflows deliver sustainable, scalable value.' Without addressing these foundational issues, businesses risk falling into an 'AI scramble,' where ambition outpaces the ability to execute effectively, leaving potential value unrealized. 'AI's potential hinges on how effectively organizations manage and integrate their AI value chain,' said James Fisher, Chief Strategy Officer at Qlik. 'This research highlights a sharp divide between ambition and execution. Businesses that fail to build systems for delivering trusted, actionable insights will quickly fall behind competitors moving to scalable AI-driven innovation.' The IDC survey uncovered several critical statistics illustrating the promise and challenges of AI adoption: Agentic AI Adoption vs. Readiness: 80% of organizations are investing in Agentic AI workflows, yet only 12% feel confident their infrastructure can support autonomous decision-making. 80% of organizations are investing in Agentic AI workflows, yet only 12% feel confident their infrastructure can support autonomous decision-making. 'Data as a Product' Momentum: Organizations proficient in treating data as a product are 7x more likely to deploy Generative AI solutions at scale, emphasizing the transformative potential of curated and accountable data ecosystems. Organizations proficient in treating data as a product are 7x more likely to deploy Generative AI solutions at scale, emphasizing the transformative potential of curated and accountable data ecosystems. Embedded Analytics on the Rise: 94% of organizations are embedding or planning to embed analytics into enterprise applications, yet only 23% have achieved integration into most of their enterprise applications. 94% of organizations are embedding or planning to embed analytics into enterprise applications, yet only 23% have achieved integration into most of their enterprise applications. Generative AI's Strategic Influence: 89% of organizations have revamped their data strategies in response to Generative AI, demonstrating its transformative impact. 89% of organizations have revamped their data strategies in response to Generative AI, demonstrating its transformative impact. AI Readiness Bottleneck: Despite 73% of organizations integrating Generative AI into analytics solutions, only 29% have fully deployed these capabilities. These findings stress the urgency for companies to bridge the gap between ambition and execution, with a clear focus on governance, infrastructure, and leveraging data as a strategic asset. The IDC survey findings highlight an urgent need for businesses to move beyond experimentation and address the foundational gaps in AI readiness. By focusing on governance, infrastructure, and data integration, organizations can realize the full potential of AI technologies and drive long-term success. For the complete findings and insights from the IDC InfoBrief Priorities and Challenges of Data and Analytics in the Midst of AI Momentum sponsored by Qlik, please sign up for the webinar and view the full report here.
