The Community Foundation for Ireland is seeking to appoint a panel of ecologists to work with communities across the Republic of Ireland to support them to develop Community Biodiversity Plans.
The Community Foundation for Ireland is a grant-making and donor services charity that makes grants to not-for-profit and voluntary groups working in communities throughout the Republic of Ireland. In 2019 we have established a fund of €200,000 and are inviting communities to apply for grant funding to engage an ecologist and develop a Community Biodiversity Plan (CBP) for their local area. We would like to appoint a panel of suitably qualified ecologists to work with communities to develop CBPs. A fixed day rate of €330 will be provided (ex VAT, including travel and subsistence).
We intend to hold a ½ day workshop for interested ecologists in Dublin on 9th July 2019. A stipend of €150 will be paid to cover travel and expenses for those attending. The aims of this meeting will be to:
- Discuss the project in detail, including methodologies and metrics
- Collate relevant resources. Please bring any reference documents/tools you may have on community biodiversity plan development, habitat mapping, hedgerow appraisal, etc. that can be shared with community groups in order to support their application to the fund
- Agree outputs, their elements and scope
- Explore ways to add value (e.g. by framing farmer involvement as an opportunity to prepare for a greener CAP)
The Community Biodiversity Plans should include most/all of these elements:
1. Mapping - typically a geocoded habitat map using Fossitt Level 3, showing location, condition and extent of different habitat types with in the area
- Maps should be undertaken using the Best Practice Guidance for Habitat Survey and Mapping (Smith et al., 2011) and any subsequent habitat assessment methodologies available on npws.ie. Habitat maps should be shared with NBDC
- Hedgerows should be assessed using the Hedgerow Appraisal System (Foulkes et al.)
- Watercourses should be assessed using macro-invertebrate scoring comparable with the EPA
- Inventory – typically a list of flora and fauna (both native and non-native) that is known within the survey area, with as much new information as possible gathered within the survey timeframe
- Observed species data should be submitted to the National Biodiversity Data Centre and to NPWS where relevant
2. Actions - A suite of actions to enhance biodiversity by habitat type, to include the following for each action:
- What: A detailed description of the action
- Why: Rationale for the action
- Where: Specific location for the action (geocoded)
- When: Time of year/season for action to be undertaken
- How: Clear implementation methods/techniques
- Plus a high-level ranking scale for each action across a range of simple parameters, such as: Effort, Expense, Complexity, Timeframe (short, medium or long-term).
3. Linkages – connections to:
- Existing national, regional and local Biodiversity Plans and longer-term goals
- Biodiversity information resources (e.g. NPWS and EPA maps, NBDC species data, etc.)
- Individuals and/or organisations that can offer support, guidance and training (e.g. Heritage Officers, LAWPRO, NPWS Rangers, IPCC, NBDC, BirdWatch Ireland, Irish Wildlife Trust, Bat Conservation Ireland, etc.)
As well as the CBPs, ecologists should also engage in community outreach, as follows:
- Deliver a minimum of one public talk/workshop/walk/event as a part of the project, with promotional support provided by the community group
- Involve communities in data collection, supporting them to engage in species identification and using citizen science methods to collate and share data with NBDC
- Ensure that communities learn as much about their local biodiversity as possible by helping them to understand the qualities of the habitats they have in their local area and how they interact, the unique challenges and opportunities that are specific to their area, and the level of complexity/collaboration/investment needed to address them
- Support communities to make contact with NPWS Rangers, Local Authority Heritage Officers and LAWPRO Community Water Officers to raise awareness and/or involve them in the project
- Ecologists will be contacted directly by successful community groups to work with them. At this point, ecologists will be able to scope the project and determine the amount of days necessary to deliver on the actions specified above.
There will be three levels of grants:
- €5,000 for community groups to work with an ecologist to classify their local habitats (e.g. at townland level), assess their condition and extent, map them, and define a suite of actions to enhance biodiversity
- €7,500 for community groups who collaborate with one or two land managers/owners to classify habitats with a focus on field boundaries (hedgerows, treelines, watercourses and stone walls), assess their condition and extent, map them and define a suite of actions to enhance biodiversity
- €10,000 for community groups who collaborate with three to five land managers/owners to classify habitats with a focus on field boundaries (hedgerows, treelines, watercourses and stone walls), assess their condition and extent, map them and define a suite of actions to enhance biodiversity
- The area to be covered by a project may vary. For the €5,000 grants, we anticipate a scale of approximately one townland (rural) or two townlands (urban). For the larger grants, we anticipate a greater area of approximately one or two townlands (rural); or 30+ha/farm. Grant levels will be awarded with consideration to the effort and commitments outlined in the proposal and the area the project seeks to cover and/or the number of farmers it engages, whichever is more relevant.
The Community Foundation for Ireland is seeking to appoint a panel of suitably qualified and experienced ecologists to support communities to develop Community Biodiversity Plans. Grants will be awarded to communities in accordance with CFI’s criteria. As a minimum, we expect ecologists to have an MSc in Ecology or a related discipline and/or at least five years’ field experience. GIS skills, community outreach experience and membership of CIEEM would be desirable. To register your interest in taking part in the panel of ecologists, Please Click here