Client: Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government

BEC Consultants provide the secretariat for the National Platform for Biodiversity Research (NPBR), under the auspices of the National Parks & Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency. The aim of the NPBR is to provide a forum for information exchange between scientific researchers and policy makers in the area of biodiversity research. In this role we are responsible for the collation of information on biodiversity research in Ireland, including Northern Ireland.

A working group drawn from members of the platform was responsible for compiling an inventory of Irish Biodiversity Research. A database of this research has been compiled and is accessible through the website www.biodiversityresearch.ie. This database is periodically updated with new research taking place in Ireland. Another working group was responsible for preparing a Biodiversity Knowledge Programme for Ireland, which is available to download below.

As secretariat to the NPBR, BEC Consultants helped to organise the Irish hosting of the European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy (EPBRS) meeting held in May 2013 under the Irish Presidency of the EU. The secretariat also organised a number of biodiversity workshops with the aim of producing a comprehensive list of biodiversity research priorities for policy makers in Ireland. These research priorities are available to download below, in summary or in full.