Schemes and results

Terrestrial biodiversity surveillance schemes database – Explanatory notes

Background

ERFF’s collation and review of observation activities concluded that the environmental community did not have a full overview of observation activity, what we spend and why. To improve this picture for biodiversity, JNCC has done a more focused collation of terrestrial biodiversity surveillance activity in the UK with the help of many scheme organisers. The results are available in the Terrestrial biodiversity surveillance schemes database. This provides a fairly complete picture as of January 2008 of the surveillance and monitoring schemes that sample species or habitats within the UK on land and freshwater. It is a subset of the Environment Research Funders' Forum UK Environmental Monitoring Database and JNCC is working with ERFF ensure that scheme organisers only have to update the UK Environmental Monitoring Database in future.

How many schemes?

We collated information on nearly 100 surveillance schemes, operating at country or UK scales. The terrestrial biodiversity surveillance schemes database aim to cover a wide range of biodiversity surveillance schemes: surveys that may be repeated, stratified/random annual sampling, collations of observations not made using a particular sampling plan (often called biological recording), long term multi-parameter, etc. The list also includes schemes that are sufficiently widespread and systematic to allow assessing trends in distribution and/or range as well as other trends over longer time frames. Small scale (both temporarily and geographically) surveys have been excluded unless they have been combined with other small scale surveys – e.g. the local biological records centres combine the results of many local surveys, the local biological records centres have been included as schemes, but each individual local survey has not.

Who is involved?

Terrestrial biodiversity surveillance in the UK involves at least 30 organisations, including the devolved administrations and their agencies, NGOs, societies and research bodies, often in partnership. These contributions during 2007-08 cost approximately £7 million. Most schemes rely on volunteer observers; with an estimated value of over £20 million during 2007-08. A small proportion of schemes are entirely professional.

Why do schemes exist?

Most schemes exist because they were championed by a specific interest group, with specific aspirations, while some were started by government in response to particular policy needs. Many of those pioneered by the non-government sector have subsequently attracted public funding because they meet policy information needs, and because they are cost effective, often through providing co-ordination to voluntary effort. However, many have developed in an ad hoc way and until recently have not been reviewed together.

How is the data used?

Schemes operate at different scales and have differing levels of sampling. Primary uses of data are species and habitat protection and management, at site and wider countryside scales in the UK, and for migratory species also in Europe and internationally. Data are also being used to assess the impacts of broad pressures on the environment, such as climate change and atmospheric pollution

Open access to biodiversity data is growing fast, especially online via shared portals like the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Gateway or websites of individual schemes. The NBN Gateway, the Biodiversity Action Reporting System (BARS), indicator initiatives and reporting systems are not included in the Terrestrial Biodiversity Surveillance Schemes database because these are solely methods of information dissemination and are not monitoring or surveillance schemes per se. These are, however, important complements of a surveillance framework.

What about the marine environment?

Marine habitats and species schemes are collated in the UK Directory of Marine Observation Systems (UKDMOS). It should be noted that the UKDMOS database uses the term “programme” for what we have referred to as a scheme. In terms of biodiversity surveillance, coastal habitats and sea birds are included in both systems.

Accessing results

Where available, the database provides links to the detailed results from schemes. In addition, JNCC has provided some summary results, which are an interpretation of the most likely reasons for the changes observed in birds, butterflies, habitats, mammals and plants using the categories of pressures established by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

Using the database

The primary purpose of the database is to aid decisions on surveillance that need to be made by the biodiversity conservation and research community. Browsing or filtering the database should allow users to assess if the results of previous or ongoing surveillance will meet their current or future evidence needs. Any gaps in evidence provision can be identified and filled by adjusting or supplementing existing surveillance.

Many users will be interested in whether the combined results of existing schemes can meet requirements for evidence that cut across the specific taxa and habitats, around which most schemes are orientated. Examples of cross-cutting need include climate change adaptation/mitigation, pollution mitigation, land management planning, and reporting on the implementation of EC directives. To start answering these types of need, users should look at geographical coverage, detection scale, descriptions, and scheme results to help judge the likelihood that the schemes can provide relevant evidence. In practice, simple exploration of this kind would need to be the first step of a more thorough review of a requirement against schemes to determine those most relevant.

The Terrestrial biodiversity surveillance schemes database can be browsed directly on our website or downloaded as a spreadsheet.