'Ag-Biota'

Monitoring, Functional Significance and Management for the Maintenance and Economic Utilisation of Bio-diversity in the Farmed Landscape

The Ag-Biota project, co-ordinated by Dr. Gordon Purvis (Dept. ERM/UCD), aims to develop Irish national expertise in biodiversity research within the context of modern agriculture by bringing together a critical mass of researchers from academic departments in University College Dublin, University College Limerick and Teagasc Research Centres.

As in most of Europe, the majority of biodiversity research in Ireland tends to concentrate on the conservation of populations and communities that survive in the relatively small proportion of our landscape that still remains relatively unaffected by human activity. Ag-Biota recognises that, by virtue of the relatively large proportion of our countryside that is under the direct influence of agricultural practice (~65-70% in most regions), agriculture has a crucial influence on biological diversity within the wider landscape.



Ag-Biota is funded as a Capability Development Project for a period of 5 years from January, 2002, by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency under the provision of the National Development Plan. It brings together in a synergistic way, agronomic and ecological expertise and access to the ongoing agronomic field research facilities at Teagasc Research Centres.

  Participation in Ag-Biota:

Academic Groups

Teagasc Reserch Centres

Dept. Environment Resource Managment, UCD
      Dr. Annette Anderson
      Prof. Jim Curry

      Paul Doherty
      Dr. Alvin Helden
      Barry McMahon
      Dirk Miksche
      Dr. Gordon Purvis
      Dr. Olaf Schmidt
      Dr. Helen Sheridan

      Prof. John Whelan

Dept. Zoology, UCD
      Dr. Jan-Robert Baars
      Dr. Tom Bolger
      Dr. Catherine Bradley
      Dr. Mary Kelly-Quinn

Dept. Statistics, UCD
      Dr. John Connolly
      Laura Kirwin

Dept Life Sciences, UL
      Prof. John Breen
      Veronica Santorum

 Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford
      Dr. Noel Culleton
      Dr. John Finn
      Ilse Geijzendorffer
      Dr. Rogier Schulte

Oak Park, Co. Carlow
      Brigitte Henatsch
      Dr. Tom Kennedy
      John McDonald

Grange, Co. Meath
      participating site

Solohead Co. Tippary
      participating site

External Project Consultant: Dr. Jim McAdam, Queens University Belfast/NI Dept. Agriculture

Participants at the launch of Ag-Biota in December 2001.

Front row: Prof. Ted Farrell (Head, ERM), Loraine Fegan (EPA), Dr. Mary Kelly-Quinn, Dr. Catherine Bradley (both Dept. of Zoology/UCD); Second row: Prof. Joe Mannion (Dean, Faculty of Agriculture/UCD), Dr. Gordon Purvis (Project Co-ordinator, ERM/UCD), Dr. Karl Richards (EPA), Dr. John Breen (UL), Dr. Noel Culleton (Teagasc, Johnstown Castle); Back row: Dr. Tasman Crowe (Dept. of Zoology/UCD), Dr. Tom Kennedy (Teagasc, Oak Park), Dr. Olaf Schmidt, Prof. Jim Curry (both ERM/UCD), Dr. Tom Bolger (Dept. of Zoology/UCD), Dr. John Connolly (Dept. of Statistics/UCD), Dr. John Whelan (ERM/UCD), Dr. Rogier Schulte (Teagasc, Johnstown Castle).


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