Lough Key Forest Park recorded 959 different species of plants and animals over a 24 hour period as part of the Bioblitz 2013 event. This placed Lough Key ahead of Wicklow Mountains National Park and the Burren in County Clare but just behind the overall winner of Bioblitz 2013, Colebroke Estate in County Fermanagh, which had over 1,000 different species recorded. Lough Key had the most species per hectare of the four sites.
Lough Key Forest Park recorded 959 different species of plants and animals over a 24 hour period as part of the Bioblitz 2013 event. This placed Lough Key ahead of Wicklow Mountains National Park and the Burren in County Clare but just behind the overall winner of Bioblitz 2013, Colebroke Estate in County Fermanagh, which had over 1,000 different species recorded. Lough Key had the most species per hectare of the four sites.
Now in its fourth year, BioBlitz has grown to become the biggest event celebrating Biodiversity in Ireland. BioBlitz 2013 saw intense surveying of the four properties by national experts using a wide variety of sampling techniques. It is held each year as part of National Biodiversity Week to highlight the important contribution that Biodiversity makes to our quality of life.
The event is run by the National Biodiversity Data Centre in association with National Parks and Wildlife Service, National Museums Northern Ireland and Coillte.
BioBlitz at Lough Key also included an extensive programme of public events where members of the public could join with the experts to see how they survey for wildlife including bat walks, dusk and dawn chorus, electro-fishing, pond dipping, insect walks, indoor wildlife displays and exhibitions.
Lough Key featured prominently in the coverage of Bioblitz on RTE 1 TV on Friday night and Sunday with Bioblitz 2013 one of the highlight of the “RTE Goes Wild in May’ series.
The 170 scientists participated in the four BioBlitz locations in a voluntary capacity, giving of their time and expertise freely to make this national event such a success.
