Welcome to the… Quercus/NHRP Annual Review 2008/09

1. Welcome to the…Quercus/NHRP Annual Review 2008/09

2. Welcome to the…Quercus/NHRP Annual Review 2008/09 Dr. Neil Reid Centre Manager

3. Quercus/NHRP • Quercus • Partnership between Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and • Environment & Heritage Service (EHS) • Initial contract 2003 to 2005 • Extension 2005 to March 2008 • £2M core NIEA funding + £1.5M external funding • Natural Heritage Research Partnership (NHRP) • New contract QUB and • Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) • June 2008 to 2018 • NHRP now a subset of Quercus activities

4. NHRP Aims to… “Provide high quality research to underpin decisions relating to NIEA Natural Heritage’s statutory duties and to help deliver strategic targets relating to Government’s key themes of sustainable development, biodiversity and climate change.”

5. Objectives Provide NIEA with an effective, customer-focused mechanism for managing a large research programme Advance understanding of the natural heritage of NI by delivering innovative science of the highest possible quality Develop, prioritise and agree three natural heritage work programmes for years 1-4, years 5-7 and years 8-10 Develop and deliver approx. 110 high quality researchprojects using appropriate scientific techniques Establish a cost effective staffing structure which has flexibility to carry out urgent projects at short notice Provide and demonstrate added value Encourage and demonstrate the development of skills of new researchers providing internships, students projects and/or workshops Transfer scientific knowledge and skills to NIEA staff Disseminate research findings effectively to decision makers, practitioners and the general public Develop partnerships with other organisations

6. NIEA Statutory duties Climate change Biodiversity in the wider countryside NHRP research themes

7. Research themes 1) NIEA statutory duties Management of designated sites Monitoring of designated site features Specialist survey, mapping and monitoring of freshwater and marine designated sites Species distribution, abundance and habitat requirements 2) Biodiversity in the wider countryside NI priority habitats and species Ecosystem functioning Ecological genetics Invasive alien species Human impacts on biodiversity 3) Climate change

8. Management of designated sites • Sod removal at Montiagh’s Moss Nature Reserve • SAC designation for Annex II Marsh fritillary butterfly • Experimental assessment of ‘sod removal’ • Successful in regenerating fen plant communities • …but not successful in regenerating Devil’s-bit Scabious • …applied conservation recommendations

9. Monitoring designated site features • Lough Neagh diving ducks (PhD) • SPA / ASSI designated for bird assemblage • 80% of UK overwintering ducks • Population declines • H1 - Has something changed in the Lough? • H2 - Are birds not returning?

10. Specialist survey, mapping and monitoring of freshwater and marine designated sites • Important Areas for Ponds (IAPs) in Northern Ireland • Collaborative project with Pond Conservation • Important Bird Areas(Birdlife International) / Important Plant Areas (Plantlife International) • Pond Habitat Action Plan (HAP) • 9 IAPs indentified • Extensive ‘policy relevant’ • recommendations

11. Species distribution, abundance & habitat requirements • Northern Ireland Irish hare survey (2002-2009) • Irish hare listed on Annex II EU Habitats Directive • Requirement for regular monitoring • No significant population change "Queen's University has done an excellent job in providing scientific population estimates which will be used as the basis for future decisions about protection for the Irish hare.” Environment for the Minister, Edwin Poots.

12. NI Priority Habitats & Species • Conservation ecology and genetics the northern mining bee (PhD) • Colletesfloralis • SACs / ASSIs e.g. Magilligan-Umbra-Downhill sand dune complex • Preliminary work funded by DEL suggests the north coast population is genetically distinct • Mapping distribution / Habitat analysis / resource availability / Genetics

13. Ecological genetics Verification of hybridisation between European and Irish hares • Also invasive alien species research theme • 17/33 samples (c. 51%) = Irish hares • 6/33 samples (c. 18%) = European hares • 6/33 samples (c. 18%) = Interspecific hybrids • 4/33 samples (c. 12%) = Not identified • Bilateral hybridisation • 5 = male European hares (♂) mating with female Irish hares (♀) • 1 = female European hare (♀) mating with male Irish hare (♂)

14. Invasive alien species • Muntjac Knowledge Transfer • Review of invasive ecology • Appraisal of control procedures • Rapid genetic ID developed • 5 response actions outlined • Muntjac judged ‘high risk’ invader Update Roadkill juvenile (8 months) recovered from Ards Peninsula

15. Human impacts on biodiversity • Impact of wind farm development on biodiversity • Review of published literature • Birds, bats, habitats, carbon storage • Development of guidelines for developers similar to SNH

16. Climate change • Identifying priority actions on climate change within the NHD • Review of internal NIEA processes and operations • 65% of Natural Heritage Directorate staff experience weather-related problems • 72% ‘unhappy’ with current climate change adaptation measures • 4 broad recommendations, 6 key actions and 26 specific actions

17. Project list • Total of 31 active projects since 23rd June 2008 • 8 (ca. 26%) from Quercus I or competitive tenders (NIEA and NPWS)

18. Project list • Total of 31 active projects since 23rd June 2008 • 8 (ca. 26%) from Quercus I or competitive tenders (NIEA and NPWS) • 26 (ca. 84%) funded by or related to NIEA

19. Project list • Total of 31 active projects since 23rd June 2008 • 8 (ca. 26%) from Quercus I or competitive tenders (NIEA and NPWS) • 26 (ca. 84%) funded by or related to NIEA • 21 (ca. 68%) funded by or related to NHRP

20. Project list • Total of 31 active projects since 23rd June 2008 • 8 (ca. 26%) from Quercus I or competitive tenders (NIEA and NPWS) • 26 (ca. 84%) funded by or related to NIEA • 21 (ca. 68%) funded by or related to NHRP • 10 (ca. 32%) completed within first 15 months

21. Partnership

22. Management Quercus/NHRP NIEA

23. Building the CentreResearch staff Dr. Jane Preston (Senior Ecologist) Dr. Marc Ruddock (Hen harriers/wind farms) Dr. Lynne Tinkler (Climate change) Dr. Fiona Cooper (Juniper distribution) Dr. Joanne Murdy (sea level change) Dr. Katherine Webster (WMU hydromorphology) Dr. Maria Hughes (Genetics) Dr. Caroline Bradley (Plant genetics) Tommy McDermott (WMU aquatic macroinvertebrates) Gillian Robb (Hare survey/Spartina/Juniper) Alan Harrison (Hare survey) Iain Barrett (Hare survey) • Skilled researchers • Professional development

24. Building the Centre PhD Students • Building research capacity • 3 Quercus scholarships • 4 NHRP scholarships • 2 NHRP part-funded scholarships Thomas Bodey (Rathlin corncrake recovery) Emma Seale (Marsh fritillary ecology) Conor Wilson (Margaritifera ex-situ cultivation) Lorraine Chivers (Rathlin Seabirds) Irena Tomankova (Lough Neagh diving ducks) Ruth Kelly (Invasive freshwater plants) Lyndsey Herron (Grazing on sand dunes) Emily Davis (Northern mining bee ecology) Kevin Gallagher (Hemimysisanomalainvasion)

25. Building the CentreAcademic associates • >30 associated academics • School of Biological Sciences • School of Geography, Archaeology • & Paleoecology • Agri-food and land use

26. Building the CentreToR, Procedures & Dissemination

27. Building the CentreDissemination • Annual Public lectures - Prof. Graeme Hays, Swansea University - Oliver Rackham, University of Cambridge  • Workshops & Conferences - Raptor Monitoring Workshop: Hen Harriers - Brave New Ocean Symposium, Jeremy Jackson, California - Margaritifera Conference (1st October 2009) - Irish hare leaflet

32. Building the CentreDissemination • 20,678 pages visited • - 92 countries • - 42% of global visits are from the UK • - 31% of UK visits are from Belfast

33. Research reports Client reports (x15) Reid, N., Ruddock, M., Barratt, I., Robb, G.N. & Montgomery, W.I. (2008) Northern IrelandIrish hare survey 2008. Report prepared by Quercus for the Environment and Heritage Service (DOE, N.I.). UK. Cooper, F. & Reid, N. (2009) Conservation of Juniper-formations in Ireland. Interim report prepared by Quercus for the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Republic of Ireland. Bradley, C., Preston, S.P., Provan, J. & Reid, N. (2009) Current status and conservation genetics of Alder buckthorn Frangulaalnus in Northern Ireland. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland, UK. Bradley, C., Preston, S.P., Provan, J. & Reid, N. (2009) Current status and conservation genetics of the river water-crowfoot Ranunculusfluitans.Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland, UK. Preston, J.S. & Reid, N. (2008) Efficacy of sod removal in regenerating fen vegetation. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland, UK. Dick, J.T.A, Provan, J. & Reid, N. (2009)Muntjac Knowledge Transfer: Ecologyof introduced muntjac deer and appraisal of control procedures. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland, UK. Robb, G.N., McDermott, T. & Reid, N. (2008) Current distribution of Spartinaanglica in Northern Ireland. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland, UK. Roy, S., Reid, N., McDonald, R.A. (2009) A review of mink predation and control in Ireland. Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 40. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin, Ireland. Hughes, M., Reid, N., Montgomery, W.I. &Prodöhl, P. A. (2009) Verification of hybridisation between introduced European and native Irish hares. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland, UK.  Ruddock, M. (2009) Processing informal appeals to designations for Hen Harrier Special Protection Areas (SPAs). Internal report prepared by Quercus for the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Republic of Ireland. Reid, N., Harrison, A.T. & Robb, G.N. (2008) Northern Ireland Irish hare survey 2009. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Northern Ireland, UK. Tinkler, E. & Reid, N. (2008) Identifying priority actions on climate change within the Natural Heritage Directorate. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Northern Ireland, UK. Keeble, H., Williams, P., Biggs, J. & Reid, N. (2009) Important Areas for Ponds (IAPs) and other small waterbodies in Northern Ireland. Report prepared by the Natural Heritage Research Partnership, Quercus for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Northern Ireland, UK. UWT, Meharg, M. & Reid, N. (2009) Irish hare (Lepustimidushibernicus): Information and recommendations for farmers. Leaflet prepared for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Northern Ireland, UK. Bodey, T. (2009) Impacts of predator manipulations on island predator and prey populations. Unpublished PhD thesis, Queen’s University Belfast. Prepared for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Northern Ireland, UK.

34. Research excellence Selected publications Provan, J., Gemma, B.E., Andrea M., McDonald, R.A. McLaughlin, E., Preston, S.J., Wilson, S. (2008) Restricted gene flow in fragmented populations of a wind-pollinated tree. Conservation Genetics, 9(6); 1521-1532. Beatty, G.E., McEvoy, P.M., Sweeney, O. & Provan, J. (2008) Range-edge effects promote clonal growth in peripheral populations of the one-sided wintergreen (Orthiliasecunda). Diversity and Distributions 14, 546-555 Provan, J., Wilson, S., Portig, A.A. & Maggs, C.A. (2008) The importance of reproductive strategies in population genetic approaches to conservation: an example from the marine angiosperm genus Zostera. Conservation Genetics 9, 271-280 4. Reid N., McEvoy P.M. & Preston J.S. (2009) Efficacy of sod removal in regenerating fen vegetation for the conservation of the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydryas aurinia, Montiaghs Moss Nature Reserve, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Conservation Evidence, 6; 31-38. 5. Bodey, T., McDonald, R.A. & Bearhop, S. (2009) Mesopredators constrain a top predator: competitive release of ravens after culling crows. Biology Letters, doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0373. 6. Wilson, C.D., Roberts, D., Preston, S.J. & Provan, J. (in press) Developing strategies for introductions of captive-bred Margaritifera margaritifera (L.) into the wild. Hydrobiologia.

35. Building the CentreFinance

36. Strategic development Weaknesses Strengths Publications Successes High priority Partnerships Science & Policy Team Dynamic staff Opportunities Threats Strategic Development Marine Economics Ecosystem functioning Short horizon Recession

37. from little acorns… … Natural Heritage Research Partnerships grow