Species Surveillance Project - In-House Pilots records for 2012

Quality Control

Confidence in identification is high. Surveyors are NNR site staff and selected volunteers, or local Advisers familiar with their sites and with the species concerned. Where confidence or skills were low, additional expertise and assistance was sought and obtained to verify identifications. Records have been checked using NBN Record Cleaner rulesets and with taxonomic specialists.

Method steps

1. Methods were exploratory and varied, depending on the needs of each species, but were designed to integrate with our established Integrated Site Assessment processes and methods. Most involved a site search focussed on occurrence locations previously recorded for each species, and then direct observation and an estimate of abundance. Site staff and Advisers in most cases had the required expertise to identify species correctly, or sought expert assistance for verification. Records were collated within an in-house database and validated/verified using the NBN Record Cleaner toolset.

The survey work was carried out on six English National Nature Reserves (Ainsdale Sand Dunes; Dersingham Bog; East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths; Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses; Humberhead Peatlands; Martin Down) and Two Natural England local Land Management delivery team areas (Gloucestershire; Yorkshire and the Humber South and West). Location precision of records varies from 1m (GPS) to 100m.