About the Working Group
The Ecology Detection Dog Britain and Ireland Working Group is dedicated to advancing the use of detection dogs in ecological surveys across Britain and Ireland. Formed in 2019, our Working Group promotes high standards and addresses barriers to the responsible adoption of detection dogs.
Our focus is on raising awareness, sharing knowledge, and developing best practices based on research-based standards. As this field grows, we prioritise minimising risks to wildlife and ensuring survey quality through rigorous scientific methods and well-trained dog-handler teams. We advocate for verifying the competence of teams to ensure excellence in ecological surveys.
Themes
We have divided our work into three themes to focus our efforts and enable our members to engage in areas that best match their skills and interests. We share regular updates on our Facebook page about theme meetings, upcoming events, talks, and webinars. If you have any questions about a particular theme, please feel free to contact one of the theme leads directly.
Events & Communication Theme
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Raise the profile of the Working Group
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Provide ways for members to engage with the Group and each other
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Disseminate information within and outside of the Group
Research Theme
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Support links with universities, research bodies and NGO's
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Promote best practice use of conservation detection dogs in research projects
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Advise on and promote rigorous scientific methods
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Peer review for papers using conservation detection dogs
Training & Competency Theme
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Develop a competency framework as a basis for detection dog and handler skills
Resources published by the Working Group can be found here
Meet the board
