BSBI's Atlas 2020 published

The Atlas 2020 website is now live!

The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland's (BSBI) Plant Atlas 2020, based on fieldwork carried out from 2000 to 2019, is the most in-depth survey of the British Isles ever undertaken.

Outputs from the Atlas 2020 project comprise:

  • A 2-volume printed Atlas, available in bookshops in Spring 2023, published by Princeton University Press.
  • An Atlas website featuring interactive maps for both native and introduced taxa, displaying frequency and distribution at a variety of scales.
  • A summary of the key findings, assessing changes since the 1950s and analysing the drivers of change, such as habitat loss, pollution and climate change, and summarising the current state of the British and Irish flora.

Drawing on the work of thousands of botanists who covered the entirety of Britain and Ireland between 2000 and 2019, this two-volume book features introductory chapters that provide a detailed assessment of the changes to the region’s flora over the past hundred years. Distribution maps and accompanying text and graphics display the phenology, altitudinal range, and time-series trends for some 2,700 native, alien, and hybrid species. UKCEH scientists (Oli Pescott, Rich Burkmar, David Roy) working within the BRC have contributed to the analyses, text, design, and coordination of this long-running project.

With more than 30 million records gathered during the project, Plant Atlas 2020 will serve as an essential resource for the study and conservation of these wild plants and their vitally important habitats for decades to come.

See the BSBI website article for more information.

Image source: BSBI 2023