The National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) has launched a major upgrade to its online data portal, Biodiversity Maps. The new system offers enhanced online access to the Centre’s national repository of sightings data, consisting of more than four million verified records from multiple sources spanning almost 16,000 species. The system….

Authorities are urging water users on the River Suir to take precautions after confirmation of an outbreak of Crayfish Plague on the stretch of river downstream of Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary. DNA analysis following the discovery of a large number of dead crayfish in the river earlier this month has….

I’m off to the stunning Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork tomorrow to take part in Ireland’s first ever Island Bioblitz. I was a member of the Bioblitz team at Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve in 2012. It was a fantastic event and a great excuse to take time out and spend….

A new island-wide plan to halt the decline in Ireland’s bees and other pollinators was officially launched yesterday by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Backed by by 68 governmental and non-governmental organisations across the Island of Ireland, the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 identifies actions we can take on our farmland, public….

The National Biodiversity Data Centre announced on its Facebook Fan Page yesterday that it has received a record of a Black Arches moth (Lymantria monacha) from Camolin Woods in Co. Wexford. This is the first record of this species occurring in Ireland for 100 years. It was last recorded from a….

A gardener at a Dublin park has rediscovered a bumblebee species last recorded in Ireland in 1926. Eddie Hill, who is an avid bee recorder, and regularly submits bee sightings to the National Bumblebee Monitoring scheme, noticed some odd looking bees feeding on flowers at St. Enda’s Park in Rathfarnam. After studying photographs and two….

Members of the public in Limerick City and surrounding areas are being invited to join wildlife experts and ecologists this weekend in Ireland’s first ever Urban BioBlitz. Hosted by Limerick City Council, Limerick City Centre Tidy Towns Group and the National Biodiversity Data Centre, the Limerick Urban BioBlitz aims to identify and….

The team of volunteer experts at Colebrooke Estate in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland were crowned “All Ireland BioBlitz Champions” for 2013 over the weekend with an impressive closing tally of 1,086 species in 24 hours. Colebrooke beat Lough Key Forest Park, Co. Rosscommon (959 species); The Burren National Park, Co. Clare….

Dr. Una Fitzpatrick, Ecologist with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, explains why we need to conserve our pollinators, and how you can help. The staggering value of pollination Pollination services provided by insects, mainly bees, have been valued at €153 billion a year. With 71 out of the 100 crops….

Dr Eugenie Regan from the National Biodiversity Data Centre introduces us to Ireland’s three species of earwig. Earwigs are an unloved group of insects. They generate reactions of disgust from the general public, are considered by most a pest, and are surely one of the reasons that insects have a….

Glengarriff Nature Reserve in West Cork was crowned BioBlitz Champion 2012 over the weekend with an incredible tally of 1,020 species over 24 hours. The team at Glengarriff beat stiff competition from Crawfordsburn Country Park in Co. Down, Lough Boora Country Park in Co. Offaly and Dublin’s Phoenix Park, coming….

Are you interested in learning how to identify Irish butterflies? Would you like to contribute to butterfly conservation in Ireland? Can you make it to Tralee, Co. Kerry on Saturday 28 April? Butterfly Monitoring Workshop Date: Saturday 28 April 2012 Time: 10:30 am to 3:00 pm Venue: Business/IT Building, North….