You may be surprised that currently we do not have a good measure of changes in plant populations across the country. The new National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS) aims to collect information every year to fill this gap.
Anyone interested in nature who can identify plants, or who is keen to learn, can take part. There are 4 levels so that volunteers can choose the one that best suits their knowledge and progress as they gain experience.
Bees and beetles; pollinators and pest controllers. These insects do incredible things that help ensure you get food on your plate. It makes sense, therefore, to know where they are and what they are doing for us. That is exactly what researchers at CEH, including BRC staff, have been doing.
Invasive alien species (IAS) are considered one of the greatest threats to biodiversity.
The Biological Records Centre is involved both in the research to identify potential threats to Great Britain, known as horzon scanning, and in providing a system that allows members of the public to report potential sightings.
A recent paper264 considered 591 species and found 30 to represent a high risk and another 63 a medium risk based upon their likelihood of arrival and establishment and the severity of their impact.
Collation of datasets on behalf of national recording schemes and societies is a key element of BRC’s work. We have a wealth of knowledge and experience around the management of large datasets, which underpin the research examples given throughout this website.
