Dr Liam Lysaght, Chief Executive Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre was delighted to welcome Christopher O’Sullivan T.D. Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity to formally launch two new publications at an event in the wonderful setting of the Royal Irish Academy, in Dawson Street, Dublin. The new publications were the Handbook for the Irish Vegetation Classification and An Atlas of Butterflies in Ireland 2010-2021. The Minister talked about the value of data and evidence-based action to assist conservation, and acknowledged the important work the National Biodiversity Data Centre was doing to promote biodiversity across society. The Minister also described his ministerial brief as his ‘dream job’.
Speaking at the launch, Jesmond Harding, Butterfly Conservation Ireland, one of the editors of An Atlas of Butterflies in Ireland 2010-2021 talked about the importance of establishing robust baselines against which future changes can be tracked, to avoid the Shifting Baseline Syndrome. He noted that ‘….each new generation redefines what is ‘natural’. What we see now or in the recent past is interpreted as the natural state of populations, prompting pre-baseline amnesia. Future generations of butterfly recorders in Ireland taking the 2010-2021 period as their baseline comparator should be less prone to pre-baseline amnesia.’ Harding also thanked the large number of organisations and individuals who contribute to the production of the Atlas, in particular to the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Butterfly Conservation Ireland and Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland, who collaborated on this all-island overview of the status of Ireland’s butterflies.
The Handbook for the Irish Vegetation Classification was introduced by Philip Perrin, BEC Consultants who took the lead in developing the Irish Vegetation Classification and the associated resources. Perrin highlighted the value of the Irish Vegetation Classification to ‘…inform the planning process, aid in the identification of protected habitats, facilitate monitoring of vegetation, and provide a framework for ecological research by allowing researchers to quickly place their own data in a national context.’ He noted that ‘data from nearly 27,000 vegetation plots were used in the analysis, recorded by ecologists across many decades, making this a cross-generational effort.’
Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Chief Scientific Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre outlined how both publications contributed to the scientific work programme of the Centre. She noted that both publications were the culmination of work from a great many people, and she hoped that all contributors will be proud of the quality of both publications. FitzPatrick thanked in particular NPWS for having the vision to develop and fund the production of the Irish Vegetation Classification for Ireland. The Irish Vegetation Classification will provide a valuable tool for better decision-making to help conserve Ireland’s biodiversity.