Latest news with #NationalBiodiversityDataCentre
Agriland
a day ago
- General
- Agriland
How to develop a community biodiversity action plan
The National Biodiversity Data Centre has launched a new guide for groups who want to produce a community biodiversity action plan for their local area. A community biodiversity action plan is a comprehensive strategy designed by the community to safeguard the biodiversity unique to a specific region. The plan helps to organise and give direction for local actions that can help both the environment and local residents. Community groups around the country are producing action plans to guide their biodiversity actions over three to five years. Almost 300 action plans from across Ireland have now been published on the dedicated online portal. Biodiversity The general steps for developing an action plan include: assembling a team; engaging an ecologist; involving the wider community; assessing local biodiversity; setting goals; and writing the plan itself. The plans are are tailored to preserve special habitats, and restore or recreate new habitats. By focusing on the local level, these plans ensure the protection of rare species that might not receive adequate attention in broader conservation efforts. Preserving local biodiversity through action plans can provide a natural buffer crucial for building resilience against the adverse effects of climate change. One of the core objectives of the plans is to balance conservation efforts with sustainable development. Therefore, the responsible use of natural resources is encouraged to ensure that economic progress does not come at the cost of biodiversity loss. Guide The aim of this new publication is to provide guidance to community groups new to working on this area by offering a simple seven-step approach to producing a plan. The booklet – written by Juanita Browne, editor of Biodiversity Ireland, with assistance from Dr Úna FitzPatrick, chief scientific officer at the National Biodiversity Data Centre – includes an introduction to the subject and an outline why producing an action plan is of benefit to communities. The appendices include an overview of the type of actions a group can choose from, depending on whether they want to focus on pollinators, bats, or birds. This 36-page guide, which also includes a list of possible funding streams for community groups, is available to download through the National Biodiversity Data Centre website.
Irish Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish gardeners could be breaking the law without even realising it
Summer is just around the corner, and with the warmer weather Ireland has been enjoying lately, many people will be looking forward to spending more time outdoors and tending to their gardens. However, before you get too comfortable, it's important to be aware that not all plants in your garden are harmless - and some could even land you in legal trouble. One of the most problematic invaders is Japanese knotweed, a fast-growing, non-native weed that many gardeners might unknowingly have on their property. This plant isn't just a nuisance - it's illegal to plant, spread or allow to grow under Irish law. If found, it must be controlled and eradicated immediately to avoid legal consequences. Under Regulation 49 (2) "any person who plants, disperses, allows or causes to disperse, spreads or otherwise causes to grow Japanese knotweed or any of the other invasive plants listed in the Third Schedule of the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations, 2011 (S.I. No. 477 of 2011) shall be guilty of an offence". Japanese knotweed is a fast-growing green shrub that can quickly take over gardens, forming dense thickets during the summer months. According to Ireland's National Biodiversity Data Centre, it can reach up to three metres in height and is often mistaken for bamboo due to its hollow, jointed stems. In early spring, the plant begins to emerge with small red buds that develop into shoots shaped like asparagus tips. As it grows, the stems become green with noticeable red or purple flecks, while the leaves are lush green and arranged in a distinctive zig-zag pattern along the stems. By late summer, clusters of small creamy-white flowers appear, making the plant even more recognisable. Come winter, the visible parts of the plant die back, leaving behind brown, cane-like dead stems that may still carry browned flower remnants. Beneath the surface, Japanese knotweed has an aggressive root system made up of rhizomes - underground stems with an orange centre that snap cleanly like a carrot when bent. These roots are capable of spreading quickly and regenerating even from small fragments, making the plant especially difficult to remove. According to experts from insurance comparison website Quote Devil, the presence of the weed can cause issues if you are selling or buying a property, and can cause thousands of euros in repair costs. Spokesperson Conor Mulcahy said: "Japanese knotweed can have devastating effects. The roots can interfere with drainage pipes and other structures, blocking and sometimes lifting pipework. A house's underground infrastructure is also at risk which can cost thousands of euros in repairs. "Japanese knotweed damage is not often covered by home insurance policies and if you look to sell your home in the future this could cause huge problems as it could put off potential buyers. It can also affect your ability to get a mortgage on a new home if there's evidence of Japanese knotweed on the property. "The first sign of Japanese knotweed tends to appear in spring, when the plant grows and shows clear signs of its presence which is why you should start to look for signs over the next few months to see if you have this pesky plant on your property. "It's important to keep an eye out for this plant as early as possible, as the more it sets in, the harder it is for experts to effectively remove as it grows and spreads rapidly." 1. Red and purple shoots that look like asparagus The plant's shoots are red or purple in colour and resemble asparagus coming out from the ground. Shoots of the plant tend to appear in April and May when the ground thaws, allowing the dormant plant to grow (and fast). If you spot growth over a small number of days this can be a telling sign. 2. Heart-shaped leaves The leaves of a Japanese knotweed are shaped like love hearts which can make them easily identifiable. Colour-wise they are a lush green with reddish veins and can be as tall as 20cm in length. The leaves always grow on alternative sides and have a distinctive zig-zag pattern. 3. Clusters of small white flowers In the warmer months of summer, the Japanese knotweed plant bears creamy clusters of white flowers that are small in size. If you spot these, this is bad news as it means the plant has established itself quite strongly, making it difficult to remove. 4. Bamboo-like stems The stems of a Japanese knotweed plant once grown out of the ground are speckled with flecks of purple. The mature stems are often mistaken for bamboo as they are hollow and become dry and brittle in winter. 5. Brown rhizome roots If you spot rhizome roots on your property this could be a huge issue. Japanese knotweed has brown roots that are orange and yellow on the inside and these hardy rhizome roots are very difficult to remove. It's easily snapped which can cause it to spread without the proper treatment. The root system, if not treated correctly, can shock the plant in a dormant state making it harder for even an expert to kill. If you suspect Japanese knotweed on your property, it's important to seek professional advice for safe removal and control. By doing nothing, it could be considered an offence by allowing it to be dispersed or spread. Early treatment not only helps avoid legal trouble, but also prevents more costly and difficult removal down the line. For more information, see Ireland's National Biodiversity Data Centre's Japanese knotweed information sheet here.
Agriland
03-05-2025
- General
- Agriland
Festival of Farmland Biodiversity celebrates hedgerows
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is currently hosting the month-long Festival of Farmland Biodiversity, which is focused on our hedgerows. This year's virtual festival celebrates the value of the native species-rich hedgerows that crisscross the Irish landscape. Hedgerows provide food (such as blossom and berries), create wildlife corridors, help with shade and shelter for livestock as well as field drainage, and offers a habitat for beneficial insects. The festival, which continues until the end of May, will also highlight some of the ways that farmers can work to support nature on their farms. Festival of Farmland Biodiversity farm walk. Source: Ruth Wilson As part of the festival, there are a series of walks and talks on farms across the country which will allow farmers to see this work firsthand. The walks will be hosted by National Biodiversity Data Centre, Farming for Nature and and the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) Breifne team. Ruth Wilson, farmland pollinator officer with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, told Agriland that some of the work being undertaken by farmers for nature and biodiversity on their lands will be showcased during these events. 'You can notice year-on-year greater interest from everybody, and the farmers are keen to share what actions they are taking on their farm,' she said. Hedgerows This year's festival will include a photography competition where people can submit images of hedgerows under four categories: Best Blossom; Best Shelter or Shade for Livestock; Best Margin for Wildflowers and Best Hedgerow Network. Along with prizes for the categories, the judging panel will also select the overall best hedgerow photo which 'really stands out'. The festival includes a photography competition Wilson added that the National Biodiversity Data Centre will be launching an online course focused on pollinator-friendly hedgerows this month. 'The course covers the wonderful native species that we find in our hedgerows, and how best to manage them as well to benefit pollinators and biodiversity,' she said. Farmers are being invited to take part in the Festival of Farmland Biodiversity by sharing content on social media about biodiversity on their farms (using the #FarmlandBiodiversity tag), in particular hedgerows. They can also submit biodiversity sightings of different species and plants on their farm as part of a long-term project being run by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. 'If you see it on your farm, you can learn more about it and send your records in. We're always very keen to get records in to know the species is there,' Wilson said. Further details on the festival and the various events can be found on the National Biodiversity Data Centre website.
Agriland
02-05-2025
- General
- Agriland
Minister launches books to support nature restoration
Ireland's butterflies and wild habitats are in the spotlight today, Friday May 2, as Minister of State for nature, heritage and biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan, launched two new resources – the 'Atlas of Butterflies in Ireland' and the 'Handbook for the Irish Vegetation Classification'. The Atlas of Butterflies in Ireland presents a comprehensive account of Ireland's butterflies from approximately 2010 up to the end of 2021. It is the culmination of an all-island collaborative effort by the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Butterfly Conservation Ireland and Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland. The book draws on over 400,000 records which were contributed by more than 6,500 individuals. Biodiversity in nature Butterflies are good indicators of environmental quality in Ireland. They are sensitive to changes in climate and respond quickly to different land management decisions. The Atlas includes records along with distribution maps for 40 butterfly species that have been recorded in Ireland, including 32 resident species. Wall brown butterfly. Image source: Jesmond Harding The Atlas assesses key trends in butterfly populations over the period between 2010 and 2021. Of the resident species recorded: 16 showed no significant change in distribution; Seven species increased in their range, with the Comma butterfly showing the largest expansion in range since it was first recorded in Wexford in 2000. It is now common in the southern part of the country. This is considered a natural expansion due to climate change; Nine decreased in range with the most dramatic being that of Wall. It has died out from large parts of the midlands, and is becoming increasing confined to coastal habitats. It is thought that this decline is the result of dual factors associated with excess nitrogen in the environment and a changing climate. The research shows that while changing environmental conditions results in more favourable habitat conditions for a small number of resident species, it primarily creates conditions that are less favourable, leading to the decline in many species of butterflies in Ireland. Speaking at the launch, Minister O'Sullivan said: 'Butterflies are widely recognised as visible indicators of the state of nature. 'Any decline in their population is of concern to all of us, as insects provide food for many species of birds and are important pollinators. 'I would like to thank all of the volunteers and ecologists who contributed to these publications, including the thousands of butterfly recorders who dedicated their time to complete surveys and submit data, and the ecologists who sat out on windy hillsides, in bogs and woods to meticulously record plant species.' Nature restoration The minister added that collaboration is the key to building a strong evidence base for biodiversity. He explained that the publications demonstrate that a dedicated recorder community coupled with sound science can support decision making in biodiversity, including our National Restoration Plan which requires us to reverse declines in our pollinators by 2030. The minister also launched the Handbook for the Irish Vegetation Classification, which describes and maps in detail all aspects of natural and semi-natural vegetation in Ireland within a single, unified framework. It is based on the statistical analysis of quantitative vegetation data from approximately 27,000 plots and lays out the links between vegetation community types and important habitat types allowing ecologists to make more informed and consistent decisions relating to habitat mapping. The National Biodiversity Data Centre coordinates implementation of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, a framework which aims to create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive. Director of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Dr. Liam Lysaght said: 'Both publications were only possible to produce because of the huge amount of data and information collected by scientists and citizen scientists over the year, all expertly synthesised by national experts supported by our partner organisations. 'These publications will make a valuable contribution to delivering on evidence-based actions to help biodiversity, particularly in the context of the forthcoming National Restoration Plan.' Director general of the NPWS, Niall Ó Donnchú added: 'The alliance between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the National Biodiversity Data Centre continues to deliver strong scientific outcomes; these publications will be a valuable resource for both practitioners and policy makers.'
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Science
- Irish Times
Pollination: How to bringing the buzz back into our countryside, towns and cities
Taking action to reverse the degradation of nature is no longer a 'nice to have'; it is mandated in the Nature Restoration Law , which came into effect in 2024. The law includes the need to tackle biodiversity loss across all of our land and sea systems, but one particular group of animals, the pollinators, is called out explicitly. Ireland, as a member state of the EU, must improve pollinator diversity and reverse the decline of pollinator populations by 2030. We have just five years to reverse serious and ongoing declines in the tiny beasts that keep nature ticking over. One-third of our 99 wild bee species are at risk of extinction. Pollination is one of the most fascinating, colourful and economically important interactions between plants and animals. The 'birds and the bees' elegantly aid reproduction of 90 per cent of plant species on Earth. Hundreds of pollinator-dependent crops provide us with healthy diets and not so healthy treats. Strawberries, apples and cocoa are all highly dependent on animals to move pollen around to stimulate the production of fruit. In addition to the crops, hundreds of thousands of wild plants are critically dependent on pollinators. READ MORE Pollinators are animals that visit flowers, usually attracted by the promise of sugar-rich nectar and protein-rich pollen. When the pollinator visits another flower, some of the pollen gets deposited on a sticky stigma within the flower. If the pollen is the right species, and even the right kind of individual, the pollen grain germinates and burrows its way to meet the ovule of the recipient, fusing to create an embryo, the seed of a new plant. Worldwide, many different kinds of animals act as pollinators, including beetles, bees, butterflies, birds and bats. In Ireland, we lack the exotic hummingbirds and sugar gliders of the tropics and subtropics, but we have a diverse range of bees, hoverflies, butterflies and moths that quietly go about their essential work servicing the flowers. In 2015, Ireland led the world in developing the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, a blueprint for actions to help reverse the decline in pollinators. Ecologists Úna Fitzpatrick from the National Biodiversity Data Centre and Jane Stout from Trinity College Dublin recognised something needed to be done to stem the loss of insects from our landscapes, farms and wild places. They created a plan with more than 80 actions that individual people, communities, local authorities and businesses could put in place to help reverse pollinator declines. Over the past 10 years, two All-Ireland Pollinator Plans have been produced and have become the go-to example of pollinator habitat and species restoration planning in Europe, inspiring pollinator plans in several other countries. All local authorities in Ireland have signed up to the plan. Areas left wild and unmown for pollinators have become a common sight in parks, along roadsides and in gardens. Action for pollinators is well embedded in our communities, with the Tidy Towns competition having a special award for pollinator-friendly measures. Over the years, we have learned to appreciate lawns studded with golden dandelions and muted lemon-yellow cowslips. 'Weeds' became 'pollinator friendly plants' and lawnmowers were parked up for months at a time. Wild orchids popped up on roadside verges outside suburban houses and bumble bees found new places to nest in wildlife-friendly gardens. Our aesthetic senses have been retrained to better appreciate the wild and messy. Ireland has a 10-year head-start to the kind of action we need to restore pollinators, but it is clear that increased efforts are needed as pollinators continue to be threatened by pesticides, habitat destruction and climate change. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is due for renewal for 2026-2030 and this is the perfect time to increase ambition. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has grown from grass-roots involvement and people are being asked to contribute ideas for the next version of the plan. See the consultation page on the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan website to contribute your ideas to bring back the buzz into our countryside, towns and cities. Pollinators need bigger, better and more joined up areas in which to thrive. Prof Yvonne Buckley is co-director of Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water, Trinity College Dublin, and board member of the National Biodiversity Data Centre
