Partnerships

JNCC’s surveillance programme aims to contribute to the overall surveillance and monitoring need within countries and the UK as a whole by supporting schemes that meet multiple requirements and support uses at UK, country and, where relevant, local scales.  The programme invests with partners in long term schemes.  Although the schemes are taxonomically based, in many cases their sampling strategies are designed to make them sensitive to the environmental and anthropogenic drivers of change (pressures) operating at broad scales so that through analysis they can provide information relevant to a wide range of policies.

Our main investments are through schemes led by the British Trust for Ornithology, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Butterfly Conservation, the Bat Conservation Trust, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, but these schemes involve the financial and in kind contribution of many other partners, and in most cases depend on the huge contribution of time and effort by skilled volunteers.

Further details of these schemes, including more information on what they involve, how they are run and their species and geographical coverage, are provided in the schemes and results pages.

Partnership schemes

Birds:

Breeding Bird Survey (BTO, JNCC, RSPB)

3604 x 1km squares in UK surveyed 3 times in 2007, covering 101 species. Scheme started in 1994. Trends of bird species can be found at the BTO's Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside webpages.

Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme (WWT, JNCC)

13 goose and swan populations monitored in the UK. Scheme started c. 1955.

National Ringing Scheme (BTO, JNCC)

Around 880,000 birds ringed each year of 270 species, including birds from 120 Constant Effort Survey (CES) sites and 100 Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS) studies. National scheme started in 1909, whilst CES started in 1983, and RAS in 1998.

Nest Record Scheme (BTO, JNCC)

34,202 records in GB submitted in 2007, covering 90 species. Scheme started in 1939.

Rare Breeding Birds Panel collation of breeding bird records (RBBP, JNCC, RSPB, BTO)

Around 8000 sites in UK reported on annually, covering 130 species. Scheme stated in 1972.

Seabird Monitoring Programme (JNCC, CEH, NTS, RSPB, TSG, SOTEAG)

All 26 species of regularly breeding seabirds monitored at a sample of colonies in the UK, since 1986.

Wetland Bird Survey (BTO, JNCC, RSPB, WWT)

Around 2,000 wetlands in GB monitored up to once a month for waders and other waterbirds. Over 100 species recorded. Scheme started in 1947.

Invertebrates:

Recording Schemes (range of invertebrates) (BRC, CEH, JNCC, NBN, NERC, NSS)

At least 412 BAP invertebrates are recorded across the UK by 88 organisations.

UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BC, CEH, JNCC, CCW, DEFRA, NE, NIEA, FC, SG, SNH)

Includes transect walks and timed counts. Butterflies counted on 850 transects, 16 times a year. 63 species have data collected regularly, and some trends go back to 1976.

Mammals:

Breeding Bird Survey/Waterways Breeding Bird Survey – Mammal Data (BTO, JNCC)

Mammal data collected at 2400 Breeding Bird Survey sites since 1995, and around 300 Waterways Breeding Bird Survey Sites since 1998.

National Bat Monitoring Programme (BCT, JNCC, NE)

Approximately 2500 sites monitored. Long terms trends available for 11 of the UK’s 17 bat species. Scheme started in 1996.

National Gamebag Census (GWCT, JNCC)

600 estates across GB return information on game and predator bags. 16 species of mammal recorded. JNCC funds analysis of the data. Scheme started in 1961.

These schemes are part of the Tracking Mammels Partnership, a collaborative initiative, which aims to improve the quality, quantity and dissemination of information on the status of mammal species in the UK.

Plants:

British Bryological Society Recording Schemes (BBS, CEH, JNCC, BRC, NERC)

The Vice-County Recording Scheme (established 1937), the Mapping Scheme (established 1960) and the Threatened Bryophyte Database scheme (established 2000) have collected data on 1034 species of bryophyte across the UK.

Partner Organisations

BBS – British Bryological Society, BC – Butterfly Conservation, BCT – Bat Conservation Trust, BRC – Biological Records Centre, BTO - British Trust for Ornithology, CCW – Countryside Council for Wales, CEH – Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, DEFRA – Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, FC – Forestry Commission, GWCT – Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, JNCC - Joint Nature Conservation Committee, NBN - National Biodiversity Network, NE – Natural England, NERC – Natural Environment Research Council, NIEA – Northern Ireland Environment Agency, NSS – National Schemes and Societies, NTS – National Trust for Scotland, RBBP - Rare Breeding Birds Panel, RSPB – Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, SG – Scottish Government,  SNH – Scottish Natural Heritage, SOTEAG – Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group, TSG – The Seabird Group, WWT – Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust