September 2015 Join NUI Galway Staff and Students in Ireland’s Intervarsity BioBlitz

This year’s Intervarsity BioBlitz will take place from 24-25 September and the public are invited to take part in events taking place on NUI Galway’s campus. The BioBlitz brings together scientists and the public in a race against time to see how many species can be recorded in a 24-hour biological survey.

From 5pm on Thursday, 24 September to 5pm on Friday, 25 September teams will race against other third-level institutions to record as many species as possible over the 24-hour period. The team that records the most species wins. Experts from the University’s School of Natural Sciences will be on hand to help identify and create an inventory the plants and animals found on campus.

Last year NUI Galway won the nationwide Intervarsity BioBlitz by recording a total of 581 species.

Aidan O'Hanlon of NUI Galway’s School of Natural Sciences, said: “Biodiversity means the variety of all living things, so we need people to survey and identify birds, mammals, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, higher plants, bryophytes, lichens, fungi and diatoms. This event is a really unique opportunity to to find and learn about your plant and animal neighbours, and to help out in a nationally important scientific survey of urban biodiversity.”

Ireland’s BioBlitz is designed to increase public awareness of the variety of life in Ireland and to highlight some of the ecological services that biodiversity provides to enhance our quality of life at the global and the local level. The Bioblitz also demonstrates the high level of skill and expertise necessary to study many aspects of Ireland’s biological diversity.

There are a number of public events running throughout the Bioblitz and everyone is welcome to attend. Events on Thursday include a birdwalk at 6pm and a bat walk at 7.45pm with both walks starting in the NUI Galway Park and Ride Carpark in Dangan. For a full list of events taking place on campus visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/environment/.

This initiative is supported by NUI Galway’s School of Natural Sciences, the Buildings Office and the Green Campus team.

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