Wildlife-Environmental
Research Group
Ecological Management
Group can undertake a variety of focused wildlife research
activities involving individual species or ecological
communities. The company prides itself on using integrative
scientific techniques to produce accurate and reliable
reports or publications in answer to specific wildlife
or environmental topics and management concerns.. Research
staff in Ecological Management Group have undertaken
a wide variety of scientific research projects in Irish,
UK and wider European contexts that has included work
on species such as otter, badger, mink, pine marten,
seals, ungulates, red fox, small mammals, wolf, European
rabbit, Irish hare, owls and others.
Delivery Mechanisms (outlined below)
for our scientific research service are provided through
an integrated hierarchical system promoting complete
wildlife research programs from instigation and analysis
to research publication.
Project
initiation, quality assurance and statistical integrity
Ecological
Management Group considers this integral to the successful
outcome of research projects. Our activities prior to
undertaking direct wildlife research projects incorporate:
- Implementation of informed and accepted
research method(s).
- Validating specified methods for specific
research projects.
- Ensuring statistical robustness in
project design.
- Application of appropriate and advanced
statistical techniques to provide accurate and specific
research outcomes accounting for the specificities
of research projects.
- Instigation of systematic
and regular quality assurance mechanisms within projects
to ensure specific targets are being met on time and
to a high standard.
Ecological
Surveys
Research scientists
in Ecological Management Group and our associates have
a broad based and diverse array of experience in ecological
surveys in Irish, UK and wider European contexts. The
following surveys can be carried out by our research
professionals as either complete studies or integrated
as part of larger wildlife or environmental research
projects:
- Habitat classification
surveys (in accordance with JNCC procedures e.g. Phase
1).
- Field boundary delimitation, audit
and classification.
- Distribution and abundance of native
and non-native faunal species in the environment including
mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates
and others.
- Freshwater ecological bio-monitoring
surveys including implementation of BWMP and ASPT
protocols, habitat surveys and associated activities.
- Targeted and focused research on species
of conservation or management concern in terrestrial
and aquatic systems over short, medium and long temporal
scales.
Direct
Wildlife Research Activities
The following are core functions that can be undertaken
directly related to wildlife populations:
- Trapping (cage, net,
wire) a range of wildlife species for scientific research
purposes including tagging, genetic sampling and density
estimation.
- Application of Radio-Tracking
techniques to investigate a range of ecological parameters
including home range, dispersal, habitat selection,
activity budgets and survival in all terrain types.
- Assessing animal Population
Density at different spatial scales using
a varietyof techniques that include spotlight counts,
capture-mark-recapture, indirect sign indexes and
sighting rates.
- Dietary
Analysis of terrestrial, freshwater and marine
species.
- Large scale Distribution
Surveys using validated methods.
Application
of GIS models and analyses
GIS based analyses are integral
to modern-day ecological studies. Ecological Management
Group scientists provide the following competencies
in GIS that extend the abilities of our wildlife research
programs:
- Spatial analyses and modelling.
- Landscape building including DEM creation
and validation.
- Geo-referencing and image interpretation.
- Map digitisation.
- Establishing long term landscape GIS
datasets.
- Integrated study design procedures.
- Spatial database integration.
- Habitat composition
and monitoring analyses.
Database
integration and management
As necessary detailed, sophisticated and reliable databases
can be provided and/or managed by Ecological Management
Group to support research outcomes and management objectives.
We provide the following database services, as part
of research projects or as standalone initiatives:
- Creation and management of research
and environmental databases for short, medium and
long-term data collection.
- Promotion and implementation of centralised
data collection and management based systems.
- Strategic development of essential
monitoring mechanisms for wildlife and the environment
via integrated database management applications.
- Provide audits and
identification methods on how database creation can
be facilitated to achieve conservation and management
goals or targets.
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