The National Biodiversity Data Centre, Ireland’s national body for biological records, is launching a project in Donegal and are looking for farmers in the area who would like to take part.
The project aims to help conserve Ireland’s moth species, with a focus on those which live on farmland.
Owen Beckett, Project Manager at the National Biodiversity Data Centre, said: “Forty-three of our moth species are threatened with extinction, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about them. They are incredibly important pollinators and they also contribute to the overall integrity and health of our ecosystems.
“With nearly two thirds of Ireland’s land surface area dedicated to agriculture, it’s crucial that we know how they are faring on Irish farms.”
The project, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is the continuation of a similar successful project which ran in Co. Kildare last summer. The current project will run from July until October and will involve using harmless moth traps to determine the number of moth species present on the farms. Twenty farms are currently required and these can be in any area of Donegal.
Farmers who wish to get involved in the project and find out more information can contact Owen directly at: obeckett@biodiversityireland.ie
Garden Tiger, courtesy of Ben Sale
The National Biodiversity Data Centre also runs a range of other projects that anyone can get involved with. If you’re interested in finding out more about Ireland’s biodiversity and what you can do to help, then why not visit https://biodiversityireland.ie/ and see how to get involved?