Romancing Puffins. Love at first sight... by John O'Brien

Printable PDF programme

Download a printable one-page overview of GB25 by clicking here or by clicking on the image below.

Download pdf

Summary of events

Below is a summary of all the events associated with GB25.

You can register for the events here. Before registering, please check if you have the appropriate role to attend the meeting. See the information in italics under each event below.

For address information on the various venues and map, please see the Travel and accommodation page.

Note that all attendance is subject to prior registration.

Monday 15 October 2018

Budget Committee meeting
Time: 09:00-12:30
Venue: Stoney Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

The meeting is open to members of the GBIF Budget Committee

Nodes Steering Group meeting
Time: 09:00-12:30
Venue: Clover Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

The meeting is open to members of the GBIF Nodes Steering Group

Science Committee meeting
Time: 09:00-12:30
Venue: Slaney Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

The meeting is open to members of the GBIF Science Committee

Executive Committee meeting 1
Time: 13:30-17:00
Venue: Stoney Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

The meeting is open to members of the GBIF Executive Committee

Icebreaker
Time: 19:30-21:30
Venue: The Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle

All Node Managers, committee members and Governing Board delegates are invited to join the Icebreaker

Tuesday 16 October 2018

Governing Board meeting Day 1
Time: 09:00-17:00
Venue: Kilbride Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

The meeting is open to Governing Board delegates and observers

Conference Dinner
Time: 19:30-22:30
Venue: Medieval Mile Museum

All Governing Board delegates and observers are invited to join the Dinner

Wednesday 17 October 2018

Governing Board meeting Day 2, incl. Public Session
Time: 09:00-17:00
Venue: Kilbride Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

The meeting is open to Governing Board delegates and observers
The Public Session is open to the public. The Public Session programme can be downloaded here

Executive Committee meeting 2
Time: 17:00-19:30
Venue: Stoney Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

The meeting is open to members of the GBIF Executive Committee

Concluding meeting reception
Time: 17:30-19:30
Venue: Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

All Governing Board delegates and observers are invited to join the casual networking event

Thursday 18 October 2018

Public symposium: "Biodiversity loss in a changing world: local data, global action"
Time: 09:15-17:10
Venue: Kilbride Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

This public symposium is a full-day event and will highlight some of the work that GBIF and its global network is doing to mobilise biodiversity data for research and to inform decision making for global biodiversity action. It will also showcase where data has been used at the regional, national and local levels to engage communities and improve knowledge of how biodiversity is changing.

Symposium programme can be downloaded here

Friday 19 October 2018

Technical Workshop on Biodiversity Informatics and Species Distribution Modelling Day 1
Time: 09:30-17:30
Venue: Garden Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel
Price: €100 Standard; €50.00 GBIF Delegate (Limited number of places. Price includes lunch and refreshments on both days)

Lead by Prof. Nicklaus E. Zimmermann, the two-day course will cover best practice approaches to utilising GBIF-mediated biodiversity data and species distribution modelling. Conducted though R, the focal areas covered will include effective data management, assessing data quality and quantifying bias, data visualisation, habitat suitability and distribution modelling.

Technical Workshop flyer can be downloaded here
Technical Workshop programme can be downloaded here

Excursions

The host warmly welcomes you to participate in one of the two arranged excursions:

Excursion A: A Tour of Ireland’s Peatlands

The National Biodiversity Data Centre offers delegates attending the 25th Governing Board meeting of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility an excursion to visit the hidden heartlands of Ireland. The trip will provide an introduction to Ireland’s peatlands which are of high international conservation importance and found in high concentration in Ireland’s midlands.

Tour programme can be downloaded here.

Lough Boora

08.45 - assemble in the main lobby of Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel
09.00 - Coach departs

The sites visited include:
1. Abbeyleix Bog - a local community led example of restoration of an active raised bog,
2. Slieve Bloom Mountains – land use pressures on conservation of upland blanket bog,
3. Currabeg Bog - the commercial exploitation of a raised bog and
4. Lough Boora Parklands - a large-scale rehabilitated peatland site, post commercial production.

Excursion guides:
- Dr. Pete Foss, Principal Ecologists - Foss Environmental Consulting, an internationally recognised expert in peatland ecology, conservation and management will accompany the excursion.
- Mr. Chris Uys, Development Officer - Community Wetlands Forum, will meet the excursion at Abbeyleix Bog to introduce the work done by the local community to restore the site.
- Mr. Tom Egan, Land Project Manager - Bord na Móna, will join the excursion at Lough Boora Parklands to talk about the on-site land management issues and Bord na Móna’s activities.

Lunch will be provided on the day in a local Irish Gastropub. Please choose from the following options and inform one of the organisers at the Icebreaker registration desk (Monday 15 October):
1. Beef and Guinness casserole with creamy mash potato
2. Chicken and mushroom vol au vents served with house salad and hand cut chips
3. Fillet of Salmon, creamy mash, mixed vegetables and a dill cream sauce
4. Goats cheese and sundried tomato salad
5. Spinach & sundried tomato quiche with house salad and baked potato

Price: €25.00 per person.

Payment options:
1. Online at http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/events/ (preferred); see “[PRIVATE EVENT] Excursion A…”
2. In cash at the Icebreaker registration desk

Excursion B: Kilkenny Heritage Tour

Kilkenny Heritage Tour

One of the best and unique features of Kilkenny is its compactness allowing you to explore everything it has to offer on foot – which is also one of the principle reasons why we decided to bring GBIF’s GB25 to this old city. No excuses for getting lost!

Pat Tynan, a local historian, will be your tour guide for this walking excursion around Kilkenny City. With some 35 years of experience of storytelling and presenting the rich history and culture of Kilkenny, Pat will undoubtedly bring the history of Kilkenny to life for you on this short and insightful tour. So why not join other delegates in this exploration of Ireland’s old medieval capital, its narrow streetscapes, historical buildings and noteworthy landmarks.
Information on the tour and tour guide is available at www.kilkennywalkingtours.ie

Time: 11:00hrs (& 14:00hrs if there is high demand)
Duration: 70-80 minutes

Price: €5.00 per person

Payment options:
1. Online at http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/events/ (preferred); see “[PRIVATE EVENT] Excursion B…”
2. In cash at the Icebreaker registration desk

Saturday 20 October 2018

Technical Workshop on Biodiversity Informatics and Species Distribution Modelling Day 2
Time: 09:30-17:30
Venue: Garden Suite, Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel