Background to the identification of the key knowledge gaps

The National Biodiversity Data Centre organised a Biodiversity Knowledge Quest event in Waterford (26 -27 August 2010). The purpose of hosting the event was two fold:

  • To provide a stock take on the state of knowledge of Ireland’s biological diversity to coincide with the first global biodiversity target; namely ‘to halt biodiversity loss by 2010’. This is published as a report summarising what is known about Ireland’s biodiversity in 2010, and is presented within the state of knowledge section of this website.

FitzPatrick, Ú., Regan, E. and Lysaght, L. (editors), 2010. Ireland’s Biodiversity in 2010: State of Knowledge. National Biodiversity Data Centre, Waterford.

  • To identify some of the key knowledge gaps that could realistically be filled between now and 2020, the timescale for the next global biodiversity target. The gaps relate only to knowledge of what biodiversity we have, where it occurs, and how it is changing over time.

National Biodiversity Data Centre, 2010.  Ireland’s Biodiversity in 2010: Knowledge Gaps.  National Biodiversity Data Centre, Waterford.

The format for the Biodiversity Knowledge Quest was to invite recognised national experts to provide an account of the current state of knowledge for a particular aspect of biodiversity. The account was based around answering the following questions:

  • Is there a published checklist?
  • Have basic surveys been carried out?
  • Is there a national database?
  • Has a national conservation assessment been completed?
  • Are there monitoring systems in place?
  • Are there capacity building requirements?
  • Are there other knowledge gaps?

These expert sessions were followed up with a series of knowledge gaps workshops which dealt with identifying where the key knowledge gaps remain, and which gaps could be filled most easily over, say, a ten year period.  The knowledge gaps workshops dealt with biodiversity under the following headings:

  • Habitats and vegetation
  • Invertebrates
  • Marine
  • Mammals, freshwater fish and birds
  • Plants

The outcome of these workshops was written up as a draft document and subsequently made available for public consultation.  The key gaps presented represent the culmination of this process.