Online edition: ew 2009-0900 Print edition: ISSN 2009-8464 ISSUE 20 | AUTUMN/WINTER 2020 Chasing down the Slow Worm Nick Parry spent six years seeking out this mysterious reptile Irish Hedgehog Survey Help us put Gráinneog on the map Explore Your Shore! Get to know your seaweeds Contents Biodiversity Ireland Issue 20 Autumn/Winter 2020 NEWS ............................................................................................................................................... 4 - 8 Biodiversity Ireland is published by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Enquiries should be sent to Seeking out Ireland's Slow Worms .........................................................................................9 the editor, Juanita Browne, [email protected] Nick Parry investigates this mysterious reptile The National Biodiversity Data Centre, Beechfield House, WIT West Campus, Irish Hedgehog Survey ................................................................................................................12 Carriganore, Waterford. 180 Tel: +353 (0)51 306240 Elaine O’Riordan explains how you can help to record hedgehogs Email: [email protected] Web: www.biodiversityireland.ie POSTER: IRISH SEAWEEDS ..................................................................................................14 140 Management Board BIODIVERSITY BEGINNERS: Irish Seaweeds ............................................................16 100 (2008=100%) The National Biodiversity Data Centre is overseen by Dave Wall introduces our diverse seaweeds Index Population a Management Board, established by the Heritage 60 Council. The Management Board is responsible for BIODIVERSITY TALES ...........................................................................................................17 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 setting the strategic direction of the work of the National Biodiversity Data Centre and for ensuring Updates on birds, whales, plants and more Year proper corporate governance. The composition of the Management Board: 6% Rachel Kenny Chair of Board & Director of Staff of the National Biodiversity Data Centre 2 Planning, An Board Pleanála Small Tortoiseshell Speckled Wood Large White Red Admiral Small White Peacock 3 Green-veined White Meadow Brown Ringlet Orange-tip Other 5% Bernadette Guest Heritage Officer, Waterford City Juanita Browne, Niamh is responsible for day-to-day office 28% and County Council Pollinator Plan Community management at the Centre and will be 6% Dr Matthew Jebb Director, National Botanic Gardens and Engagement Officer, is spearheading the Centre’s engagement and responsible for engaging outreach programme. Species count Rachel Kenny Director of Planning, Multi-species Index of bumblebee population change 2012-2019 8% (% of individuals counted) An Bord Pleanála with partner organisations to assist implementation of the All- Dr Saorla Kavanagh, 200 Dr. Micheál Lehane Director, Ireland Pollinator Plan and to promote the Farmland Pollinator Officer Environmental Protection Agency 12% conservation of Ireland’s pollinators. She also is the Project Manager of 150 9% Dr Peter McLoughlin Head of School of Science contributes to communications activities of the Protecting Farmland 100 and Computing the Data Centre. Pollinators project which 10% Department, Waterford 11% Institute of Technology seeks to test evidence-based actions to make Oisín Duffy, farmland more pollinator-friendly. This is a 50 Nigel Monaghan Keeper, National Museum of Surveys and Records Officer, five-year project funded under the European - 100%) MSI (2012 Ireland – Natural History Division 0 has responsibility for the Innovative Partnership programme. 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Jack Nolan Head of Nitrates, Biodiversity and management of Ireland’s Year Engineering Division, Department Citizen Science Portal and Dr Liam Lysaght, of Agriculture, Food and the Marine the data validation processes with partners. Centre Director, is responsible Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe Director, National Parks He provides active support to the recording for setting the strategic and Wildlife Service network to improve the quality and quantity direction of the Data Centre, Declan Quigley Senior Port Office, Sea Fisheries of data submitted. overall management of Protection Authority the operations and work programme, Dr. Úna Fitzpatrick, and building of partnerships with other Virginia Teehan Chief Executive, The Heritage Council Senior Ecologist, is responsible organisations. He is an active recorder for the development of, and helps with the delivery of the Data The National Biodiversity Data Centre is a programme and oversees delivery of, Centre’s work programme on butterflies, of the Heritage Council and is operated under a service level agreement by Compass Informatics. The the All-Ireland Pollinator birds and mammals. He also serves as Biodiversity Data Centre is funded by the Department Plan 2015-2020, and is responsible for the Head of Delegation for Ireland to the Global of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. plant and vegetation work programmes of Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). the Data Centre. This includes management of the National Vegetation Database and Colette O’Flynn, contributing to development of the Irish Invasive Species Officer, is Vegetation Classification System. responsible for the Invasive Species work programmes Dr. Michelle Judge, of the Data Centre. She Data Manager and GBIF Node manages the National Invasive Species Manager, has responsibility Database, provides coordination of invasive for maintaining the National species data and information, and contributes Thanks to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Biodiversity Database advice and policy support at the national and Marine for their generous support of the publication of and publishing biodiversity data through European level. this newsletter Biodiversity Maps. In addition, she looks after the National Biodiversity Indicators and the Dave Wall Cover: Slow worm (Anguis fragilis) (Shutterstock) data analysis for the Irish Butterfly Monitoring Citizen Science Officer is Scheme. responsible for the Explore Your Shore! and Dragonfly Niamh Phelan, Ireland 2019-2024 citizen Administrative and science projects. He also takes the lead 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Engagement Officer, is our on developing the Data Centre’s work newest staff member programme on citizen science and all marine having joined the core staff in early August. biodiversity activities. Director’s Comment COVID-19 remains the efforts to address climate change. All the evidence now dominant issue of 2020, with confirms we are in a biodiversity and climate emergency public health of paramount that is impacting upon the health and wellbeing of the importance to everyone. planet. And when you consider that common species, During the height of the such as the Common Carder Bee and the Small Heath lockdown, people engaged butterfly, are suffering serious population declines here, 180 more with biodiversity we know Ireland is not immune from these trends. 140 in their locality, a timely In June of this year, the newly formed Government reminder that biodiversity is took a decisive step to address the biodiversity crisis in 100 important to mental health. Ireland by appointing a Minister of State for Biodiversity (2008=100%) Population Index Index Population Health is a dominant theme also in relation to the state and Land Use – within the Department of Agriculture, 60 2008of 2009biodiversity.2010 2011 In2012 recent2013 weeks,2014 exceptionally2015 2016 2017 important2018 2019 Food and the Marine – to complement the role of reports were published, highlighting, yet again, the poor Minister of State for Heritage. This is a very positive Year health of the world’s biodiversity. The Living Planet step at many levels. Report produced by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature First, it puts into practice the principle underpinning (WWF) shows that the worldwide population sizes of the conservation of biological diversity – that if 2 6% Small Tortoiseshellmammals, birds, Speckled fish, Wood amphibians Large White and reptiles Red Admiral have Smallbiodiversity White lossPeacock is to be addressed,3 all sectors must declined Green-veined by, on Whiteaverage, Meadow68% since Brown 1970. InRinglet the words Orange-tip play Othera role; it cannot be left5% to just the conservation 28% of its Director General Marco Lambertini, the report sector alone. underlines how ‘humanity’s increasing destruction Second, it sends a strong6% signal that biodiversity of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on is a priority of the newly formedSpecies Government. count And wildlife Multi-speciespopulations Indexbut also of bumblebee on human population health andchange all 2012-2019perhaps most important8% of all,(% it of acknowledges individuals counted) that aspects200 of our lives.’ the outlook for agriculture and biodiversity conservation Swiss Re, a leading institute that deals with insurance- are entwined, and if we are to get the transformative 150 9% 12% based risk analysis, published a global Biodiversity change needed to tackle biodiversity loss in the Irish and Ecosystem100 Service Index to provide a data-driven countryside, it will only be done with the help of the 10% 11% foundation for understanding the economic risks of agricultural sector. This will require more ambitious 50 deteriorating biodiversity and ecosystems. It found biodiversity