NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY DATA CENTRE

The National Biodiversity Data Centre operates the Biodiversity Maps portal – a national, freely‑accessible online hub that brings together over 9 million biodiversity records from a wide range of Irish data sources. With more than 19 500 species represented, the centre provides a comprehensive picture of the country’s flora and fauna, from birds and marine mammals to bees, hoverflies and crop‑wild relatives.

Key specialisations include detailed datasets on protected, threatened and invasive species, each with thousands of records and hundreds of species. Users can explore specific groups such as flowering plants (1.7 million records, 2 730 species), terrestrial mammals, marine mammals and the Catalogue of Ireland (over 300 000 records). The platform is continually refreshed; recent additions feature the Carrion Beetles of Ireland, Bees of Ireland, the Local Biodiversity Action Fund database and the Water Framework Directive Benthos Monitoring series, among others.

The centre’s open‑access approach serves researchers, conservation practitioners, policy makers, educators and anyone with an interest in Ireland’s natural heritage, providing reliable, up‑to‑date data to support science, planning and public awareness.