As Ecologists and Environmental Managers we are acutely aware of the challenges that face us in the current Biodiversity and Climate Crises. In 2015, thanks to the work of NBDC, a number of organisations, including CIEEM, came together and signed up to The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. Since then, this plan has resulted in a huge number of projects, a vast campaign of awareness and an invaluable source of guidance to ecologists and the public alike.

It has been a very effective plan and we are excited to see what the second can achieve. But, it is at this point that CIEEM would like to encourage our members to think critically about the actions they undertake to protect and create habitats for our pollinators. Join us on the 17th November where we chat to a number of professionals about their experience and lessons learnt on topics such as, the importance of working with Landscape architects, seed sourcing and wildflower meadow creation.

This session, which has been organised by the Irish Policy Group, will delve a little deeper into the practical side of implementing the Pollinator Plan and we hope you will join us.

The programme for this webinar will be as follows:
13:00 – Introduction by Orla Maguire
13:05 – All-Ireland Pollinator Plan – how CIEEM members can help (Úna fitzpatrick Senior Ecologist National Biodiversity Data Centre)
13:25 – Landscape Architecture and Ecology: Designing Transport Corridors (Eimear Fox, Landscape Architect in Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII))
13:45 – Q&A
14:00 – Break
14:15 – Pollinator Measures in Planning (Anne Murray, Biodiversity Officer Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council)
14:35 – Mark Bryson (Senior Consultant in Ecoseeds Ltd)
14:55 – Q&A Session
15:30 – End

Úna fitzpatrick has a Ph.D. in botany. She worked on a project on the conservation of Irish bees before joining the National Biodiversity Data Centre in 2007. As Senior Ecologist, she is responsible for the plant, vegetation and pollinator work programmes of the Centre. Úna has been involved in producing national conservation assessments for many different taxonomic groups. She has published an identification guide to Ireland’s grasses as well as identification guides to various insect groups. In 2015, she co-founded the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and currently project manages its implementation.

Eimear Fox is a Landscape Architect in TII focusing on landscape and urban design issues associated with linear infrastructure. Eimear primarily works in the TII Public Transport Team on the design and delivery of various public transport projects. She also collaborates with TII Network Management inputting into the maintenance of TII’s roadside landscapes, TII’s Environment Department developing landscape design and maintenance guidance with a focus on ecological concerns and TII Road Safety developing design based traffic calming solutions and sustainable streetscape design. She is the co-author of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan Guide for Transport Corridors and the Transition Zone design guidance for DMURS. Eimear is also a Senior Adjudicator for the Tidy Towns Competition.

Anne Murray studied Natural Science in Trinity and has 20 years of experience in ecology, specialising in areas including Coastal Ecology, Wintering Birds, Habitat Rehabilitation, Flooding and Appropriate Assessment. Anne has previously worked as a Senior Ecologist in consultancy working on a range of national and international projects. She also worked for NPWS in relation to SPA designations and conservation assessments of a number EU Annex habitats. Anne left consultancy in 2017 to work as Biodiversity Officer for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Mark Bryson is the founder member of EcoSeeds Ltd which was set up in 1996 as a “not for profit” organisation. EcoSeeds started off as wild flower seed producing company but over the years we have been involved in more habitat restoration projects. There are now two parts to EcoSeeds the seed producing side and the habitat restoration side. With the habitat restoration we work with an Ecologist and an agricultural contractor and agricultural engineer to deliver restoration projects. This started off as mainly grassland habitats then heathland restoration with wind farms but are now doing more work with peatland restoration. He is also a founder member of the “True Harvest seeds” which is a plant conservation charity dedicated to collect and banks seeds of native origin plants growing in the wild in Ireland.