EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Citizen Science Citizen science generates valuable data that track changes in nature over time. Citizen science is the involvement of volunteers in scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by members of the public. It allows everybody to play their part in contributing to the evidence and data needed for nature conservation. Citizen science is now gathering wider recognition from public bodies, including the European Commission, as a tool for collecting environmental data (EC, 2017c). Citizen science is included in the EPA Strategic Plan 2016-2020 (EPA, 2016a) with the objective of engaging the public in the protection and improvement of the environment. Integrated citizen science projects that cut across thematic areas can also play a part in linking data collection for nature protection with the pressures on habitats and water quality. National Biodiversity Data Centre Better data strengthen the knowledge base for nature protection. In order to manage and protect our nature we need to know how it is distributed across Ireland and how it is changing over time. The NBDC collates, manages, analyses and disseminates data on Ireland’s biodiversity. The centre currently manages four million biological records representing over 16,000 species (DCHG, 2019a). Citizen science initiatives coordinated by the NBDC include structured monitoring schemes such as the Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, All-Ireland Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme, Marsh Fritillary Monitoring Scheme, Dragonfly Ireland, Explore Your Shore! and Rare Plant Monitoring Scheme. The butterfly and bumblebee monitoring schemes produce annual population indices. Members of the public can also submit biodiversity records to the NBDC via their website 25 or through the mobile phone app. 25 https://www.biodiversityireland.ie 148