Key to the terrestrial biodiversity surveillance schemes
database
The information in the database is based on the 2006 ERFF
monitoring review, with subsequent updates up to January 2009 by
JNCC with input from scheme organisers. If you require more
information on a particular scheme, you should contact the relevant
lead organisation. Use the following link for more information on the
database.
In the spreadsheet, each
scheme is listed in a separate row containing 14 columns. The
parameters in each column are as follows:
1. Survey title
This is the full name of the scheme.
2. Current/proposed
Information is included on whether the scheme is operating
currently or is proposed for the future. Many schemes listed as
current are ones that are repeated at irregular intervals.
3. Type
The schemes are grouped by type. For those covering species, the
types are taxonomic groups (Amphibians and reptiles, Birds, Fish,
Fungi, Invertebrates, Terrestrial mammals, Plants). Those
monitoring habitats fall under the “habitats” type. Schemes that
cover monre than one type – e.g. common standards monitoring – will
have one row for each type.
4. Lead organisation
Many surveillance schemes involve several partners. This
involvement takes place at various levels, from steering the work
to undertaking the actual sampling. The lead organisation, as
identified here, is responsible for coordinating the operational
running of the scheme and is the organisation that should be
contacted for more detailed information. This is independent of
participation in the funding of the scheme.
5. Other organisations involved
This column lists all the organisations involved in a particular
scheme – whether they contribute financially or in terms of
organisational or actual field work – with the exception of the
organisation previously defined as “lead”.
6. Cost banding (annual cost) of the survey scheme
This represents the annual equivalent costs of each scheme,
grouped in £50k bands (the £0-£50k band is divided into £0-£25k and
£25k-£50k bands). The figures are based on known costs, or have
been estimated (for periodic surveys, annual estimates have been
derived by dividing the cost of the survey by the number of years
between surveys) in an attempt to help others compare solutions and
plan future surveillance. These figures are only designed to
provide a rough overall picture of the spend on surveillance and
monitoring, and to give some insight on the scale of the existing
solutions. The costs are not comparable in detail – e.g. schemes
have not all considered overheads, writing off any capital spend,
etc…Environmental Observation Framework development may be able to
provide guidance that can improve this picture through time.
7. Proportional split of funding
Many of the schemes listed here are funded by multiple
organisations, each contributing to cover the costs of the scheme.
This column provides information on which organisation invests in
surveillance. More importantly it allows determining which
proportion of the funds comes from public, NGO or, in some cases,
private investment.
8 & 9. Volunteer effort
Many of the surveillance schemes currently running in the UK
rely on volunteers to carry out monitoring in the field. For most
of these, the time spent by volunteers can be reasonably derived
from the number of samples or observations made and the average
time taken to make them. The cost of the volunteer effort is then
determined by applying a standard hourly rate.
10. Description of scheme
This includes a summary description of survey design, methods
used and coverage achieved e.g. number of 1km squares covered each
year, number of visits in a year, time of year, walked transects,
quadrats, nest box counts, equipment used etc. to provide a
biologist with a good overview of the purposes of the survey and
number of samples. Whilst the description gives a general
indication of what the scheme covers, the best way of determining
the cover provided for a given habitat or species is to explore the
results.
11. Species or habitat coverage
This indicates number and name of species, BAP or Annex I
habitat covered. Where large numbers of species are covered (e.g.
invertebrate recording schemes) then numbers within different
groups are specified e.g. x species of Diptera, Coleoptera etc.
12. Detection Scales
This indicates the spatial scale at which change can be
detected, from broadest to most local e.g. the survey may only
deliver change at the UK level, or sample size may be sufficient to
assess country level trends for all or some countries, or sample
sizes may be sufficient to detect change at regional, habitat or
Environmental Zone level.
13. Geographic coverage
The geographic coverage of a scheme represents the extent
covered by the scheme, not necessarily where it can be used to
extrapolate data. Schemes that cover any the whole of the United
Kingdom might not yield sufficient information to allow
interpolating at a finer scale, for example at a country or county
level.
14. Survey Frequency
This provides information on how often the survey is carried out
e.g. annual or periodic systematic survey, or continuous or
periodic ad hoc recording etc.