Dr. Karl Richards:

We are following an international approach on this. There was a paper published by the Global Research Alliance in 2019 that outlined the inventory approach that could be taken to improve estimates coming from land, land use and carbon sequestration using a combination of physical measurements, which the carbon observatory is doing, remote sensing measurements, which Terrain AI is doing, and modelling approaches which we are doing both in Terrain AI and in the VistaMilk project. Other bodies, such as those EPA fellowships I mentioned, are developing that modelling approach. That is all encompassed within the schematic that has been proposed. In terms of the physical measurements, those are being done as part of the international carbon observatory. The EPA and the Department have recently signed the agreement for the integrated carbon observation system, ICOS, which is the international carbon observatory for Ireland to participate. Some of these sites will be full ICOS sites and some will be associated sites, because the cost of establishing full ICOS compliant sites is very high. We mentioned we are doing this across 30 sites. That is the highest density of carbon flux measurements in Europe. However, we are starting from a relatively low base here and trying to catch up. We are not recreating anything. We are learning from international expertise and other international colleagues and trying to move as fast as we can.