Basking shark (c) JP Trenque
The second MAMBO conference - Measuring and Monitoring Biodiversity Offshore - was held by BTO and Ulster Wildlife in March 2015. We hope to continue to host conferences and other events that allow sharing of expertise among those interested in conserving and understanding the marine environment.
The 2015 conference was designed to attract delegates from a broad range of sectors, but with specific emphasis on government, NGOs, industry and academic sectors. During two days of presentations MAMBO 2 aimed to:
1. Build upon the network of people that was initiated at MAMBO 1, who are stakeholders in, or are engaged in, offshore biodiversity monitoring
2. Identify, and disseminate knowledge of, robust data gathering methodologies that are innovative, as well as those that are well-established
3. Focus attention on marine biodiversity data deficiencies (gaps and quality), data collation and access to data
4. Act as a catalyst in the development of partnerships in the complex arena of biodiversity data gathering in the marine environment
The conference included presentations from marine legislation, measuring and monitoring populations, offshore human impacts and citizen science initiatives. As the keynote speaker, Erich Hoyt from Whale and Dolphin Conservation discussed the use of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMA) as a tool for protecting species. A workshop on the final day gave delegates the chance to discuss and produce recommendations on how we can effectively monitor offshore biodiversity, especially in the current financial climate.
MAMBO 2 also provided a platform for the publication of the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2014 and the launch of the Northern Ireland Seabird Network.
The MAMBO 2 Conference was a joint initiative of the British Trust for Ornithology and Ulster Wildlife. The conference was financially supported by Fair Head Tidal (DP Marine Energy and Bluepower), Ecologists Ireland, The Challenge Fund and North Down Borough Council. Conference support was provided by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Department of the Environment Marine Division, Loughs Agency and Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
The final reports from MAMBO 2015 and MAMBO 2013 available to download below.
Downloads
| Filename | File size |
|---|---|
| Mambo 2013 Conference Report Nov 13 | 970.13 KB |
| Mambo 2015 Conference Report | 1.25 MB |