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

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Mapping of the Seabed, Ecosystems and Communities The mapping of Ireland’s sensitive marine habitats and species will help to protect them. A classification of marine benthic communities is currently being finalised by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the National University of Ireland Galway in accordance with the pan-European EUNIS classification system. A number of sensitive marine communities, including maërl beds and seagrass meadows, have been mapped to date. These communities, with a few exceptions, occur within SACs and should be afforded the highest degree of protection, with no disturbing activity allowed within a 50 metre buffer zone. Offshore reef habitats have also been mapped (see Topic Box 8.2). This survey work is complemented by ongoing environmental research, for example research into the distribution and abundance of protected vertebrate species as part of the government-funded ObSERVE Programme. 39 Citizen Science We need the support of the public and communities to collect important data on marine biodiversity. Several marine-related citizen science projects and initiatives are currently under way in Ireland. n Explore your Shore 40 is a citizen science project funded by the EPA and coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. It aims to increase our knowledge of the distribution of intertidal species, exploring their potential as bio-indicators of water quality and climate change. 39 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/12374-observe-programme/ 40 https://exploreyourshore.ie/ n The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group 41 is dedicated to the conservation and better understanding of whales, dolphins and porpoises in Irish waters. It provides courses on marine mammal observation and records sightings and strandings of marine whales, dolphins and porpoises with the help of the public. n Coastwatch 42 is a voluntary organisation that has carried out annual surveys of Ireland’s coast for the last 30 years. The long-term data are available at https:// coastwatch.org/europe/all-ireland-historical-data/ n Seasearch Ireland 43 is a citizen science biodiversity recording scheme for divers and snorkelers. The scheme uses volunteer recreational divers to record subtidal species at dive sites around Ireland and Britain. n The Big Jellyfish hunt, 44 Purse Search Ireland, 45 the Irish Basking Shark Project 46 and KelpRes 47 are all projects that include a citizen science component asking the public to record sightings of specific flora and fauna on Ireland’s shoreline and in coastal waters. 41 https://iwdg.ie/ 42 http://coastwatch.org/europe/ 43 https://diving.ie/seasearchireland/ 44 https://records.biodiversityireland.ie/record/jellyfish#7/53.455/-8.016 45 https://marinedimensions.ie/purse-search-ireland/ 46 https://www.baskingshark.ie/ 47 http://www.nuigalway.ie/zoology/research/kelpres/ 216