News from Biodiversity Ireland
October 2025

This monthly newsletter provides an update on some of the work of the National Biodiversity Data Centre and highlights upcoming events. 

Biodiversity Training

Join us on Saturday, 1st November 2025 | 11:00 – 12:00 for a free webinar detailing the response to the Asian hornet in County Cork and what to expect in the coming years

Discover:
✅ How suspected sightings are assessed, including the verification process and the rapid response to recent reports.
✅ Insights from the dissection and analysis of two Asian hornet 

Whether you are involved in beekeeping, biodiversity recording, education or simply want to stay informed about invasive species in Ireland, this webinar will provide an overview from those directly involved in Ireland’s first contingency response to the Asian hornet.

Please note: If joining from your phone, you will need the Microsoft Teams app but you do not need to make a profile to join.

Responding to the Incursion of Asian Hornet

In 2025, two Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) nests were discovered and removed in County Cork, with a single hornet sighting confirmed in Dublin in July. The exact route of introduction remains unknown, but urban areas near transport hubs are considered high-risk due to their strong regional and international connections.

The National Biodiversity Data Centre played a key role in the national response to the incursion of this invasive species. As part of the newly formed Asian Hornet Management Group, the NBDC worked alongside colleagues at the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and the National Museum of Ireland to coordinate efforts. The group coordinated surveys, deployed monitoring traps, tracked hornets, removed the nests and engaged with local communities and beekeepers to raise awareness.

In the months following the initial sighting of Asian hornet in Cork, the Invasive Species Unit and wider Data Centre team has responded to a huge number of suspected sightings of Asian hornet submitted by the public. We would like to thank the recorders for submitting their sightings with photos aiding the early detection of the species.

To learn more about the response join our webinar on 1st November. Register at the link above.

Photo credit: Jean Haxaire

Ireland Represented at OSPAR Meeting

Victoria Poppleton, Marine Invasive Species Officer, in our newly created Marine Biodiversity Unit, is one of the nominated representatives for Ireland on an OSPAR expert group, made up of scientists and specialists from different fields, on marine invasive species. This group had its annual meeting in September at the OSPAR Commission headquarters in London. The group was updated on the progress of a European wide project GuardIAS (Guarding European Waters on Invasive Alien Species) and also hosted a joint session with the Ballast Water Management and Biofouling Group, looking at controlling the arrival of marine invasive species via ship ballast water or growth on the hulls of marine vessels, as these topics are closely linked.

OSPAR, short for the Oslo-Paris Convention for the Protection of the North-East Atlantic, is an international organisation dedicated to keeping the Atlantic Ocean healthy and thriving. Formed in 1992, OSPAR works to prevent pollution, protect marine life, and promote the sustainable use of ocean resources. It brings together 15 European countries and the European Union to create shared rules and guidelines on important issues like waste management, fishing practices, and marine conservation. OSPAR plays a key role in tackling global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and overfishing—helping to protect the Atlantic for future generations while supporting sustainable development.

Ladybirds of Ireland Dataset 

Data Validation for the project is completed on a monthly basis and is up to date for this season, with data from September having been uploaded to Biodiversity Maps. Currently, the Ladybirds of Ireland dataset has 22,219 records across 35 species. This includes the “inconspicuous” ladybird species, which are validated and added to the dataset on a quarterly basis. Cleaning of the dataset is taking place on a continuous basis. We are nearing the end of this final recording season for the Ladybird Atlas project, so if you do have any records please do submit them.

Other exciting work to come is combining our data with the CEDaR dataset and the digitization of museum records. All of these activities will go on to inform our Ladybird Atlas 2025 project which is now in its final few months of recording.

Making Meadows at St. Joseph’s School

In a guest blog for the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, St Joseph’s Secondary School in Castlebar tells us how they created a new wildflower meadow in the school grounds inspired by our video Creating Meadows for Biodiversity. The students were hands-on every step of the way, from raking hay to scarifying the soil in preparation for Yellow-rattle sowing, to harvesting wildflower seeds.