Major new survey to map Ireland’s mammals

Ireland's mammals - Written by Katie Gough.

July 2011. The National Biodiversity Data Centre of Ireland launched the Atlas of Irish Mammals survey earlier this year. This ambitious project aims to map the distribution of all mammals found on the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland, and Irish territorial waters between now and 2015.

It plans to document the distribution of all 64 species of mammals that are known to occur, including 27 species of land mammal, 10 bat species, 3 marine mammals and probably 24 cetaceans (whales and dolphins).

This initiative is a collaborative effort, bringing together the expertise of Irish Wildlife Trust, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR), Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Bat Conservation Ireland, Biology.ie, and some of Irelands leading mammal scientists, plus the sightings of the general public.

Red squirrels are listed as 'Near threatened'. More than 40 sightings of red squirrels have already been submitted in 2011 (right hand map). A comparison between this 2010-2015 map and the known distribution prior to 2010 (left hand map) will be used to reveal range expansion or contraction.

Public participation
Public participation is an important component of the Atlas, and we have been very impressed with the number of records submitted so far. In the first 10 weeks of the project we have received nearly 600 records, primarily of Irish hare, red fox, rabbit, hedgehog, and red squirrel (listed as ‘near threatened' on the IUCN Red List of Irish mammals).

Pine marten & Irish stoat seen - No walrus yet!
Pine marten and Irish stoat have both been seen more than 30 times, which is remarkable. However, some mammal groups are proving more difficult to spot and identify, particularly the smaller mammals. To date, we have received only 1 record of house mouse and 4 of wood mouse. Not surprisingly, there has been no record of the walrus -which is a rare visitor and has not been seen in Irish waters since 1997!

Grey squirrel and mink - Unwanted visitors
We have, however, received 20 records of the invasive grey squirrel and 28 of its compatriot, the American mink. Although the number of sightings of invasive species is worrying, it is crucial to map their distribution to monitor any potential range expansion. There were also 28 records of the otter (another ‘near threatened' species), which is often sighted along waterways in cities and highlights the need to not only focus on mammals in the countryside, but also on what is living alongside us in urban areas.

Dr. Liam Lysaght, Director of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, said "We are delighted with the response so far. However, it is important to maintain the public contribution across all seasons so that we can get an accurate idea of where species are occurring, and if there is a seasonal pattern to sightings"

Pygmy shrew - Blue whale
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is coordinating this project and providing an online portal and mapping system where this information is collated and presented in up to date distribution maps. The mapping system is a tool for data providers to publish their data online and enables free public access to the data managed by the Centre, for example, the distribution of over 45,000 mammal sightings made prior to 2010. Good quality data on Ireland's biological diversity is becoming increasingly important to improve decision making, particularly in relation to climate change, land use change and biodiversity protection measures. So all sightings are valuable, from the pygmy shrew to the blue whale, as these sightings can contribute to our current understanding and future conservation policy decisions.

Submit your records online
Members of the public are invited to submit online any sighting of mammals so that they can contribute to building up a comprehensive picture of where mammal species occur in Ireland (http://mammals.biodiversityireland.ie/).

The National Biodiversity Data Centre www.biodiversityireland.ie is the national centre dedicated to the collation, management, analysis and dissemination of data and information on Ireland's biological diversity. It serves as a hub for the exchange of data between governmental organisations, NGOs, research institutions and volunteer recorders. The Data Centre was established by the Heritage Council in January 2007 and is based at WIT West Campus, Waterford. The Centre is an initiative of the Heritage Council and is funded by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Further enquires to Dr. Liam Lysaght 051 306240.

Red squirrels are under pressure in Ireland. - Photo credit Edward Delaney