EPA 'Extremes' Project Questionnaire Survey

Extremes is an EPA funded research project being undertaken in University College Dublin (UCD) that seeks to identify the potential impacts of extreme climate events on Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in Ireland, and inform future research needs in this regard. Climate change is expected to contribute to increased mean annual temperatures, an increased frequency of heavy rainfall events and more intense storms. By the middle of this century, summer heatwaves are expected to occur more frequently, and precipitation is expected to become more variable, with substantial projected increases in the occurrence of both dry periods and heavy precipitation events.

Based on your experiences, we are seeking your views on the sensitivity of protected habitats to a range of extreme event types.

Instructions:

A list of nine habitat groupings are listed in the table below. Groupings are such that they include the EU Habitats Directive, Annex 1 habitat types, that represent a considerable proportion of biodiversity in Ireland.

1. (opens in a new window)Rivers
2. (opens in a new window)Lakes, pools and standing waters
3. (opens in a new window)Bogs
4. (opens in a new window)Fens & Turloughs
5. (opens in a new window)Heaths and upland rocky habitats
6. (opens in a new window)Grasslands
7. (opens in a new window)Forest/ Woodlands
8. (opens in a new window)Estuarine/ marine habitats
9. (opens in a new window)Coastal Habitats

You may be familiar with, or have experience of working with habitats in a number of these groupings.  Clicking on the link for each of the habitat groupings will open a set of questions in which you will be asked to provide an opinion on how sensitive you feel the habitat grouping is to a set of eight types of extreme event (heavy precipitation/ floods, prolonged drought, prolonged cold spell, short period of high temperatures, short period of low temperatures, tidal surge, storm force winds, wildfires), quantify likely impacts, and suggest species that may be particularly vulnerable to the event.

There are 73 questions associated with each of the nine habitat groupings, comprising eight identical sets of nine questions (a set for each of the eight extremes events), in addition to a final question where any further information can be provided. As such, respondents may not be familiar, or have experience, with all habitat groupings and/ or extreme events, and in these situations, sections of the questionnaire survey can be ignored

The closing date for receipt of completed surveys is Friday 3rd May.

Your time in completing the survey is very much appreciated by the Extremes project team.

All information provided in the survey is anonymous.