Devon GHB Communities Conference 2018 - Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC) Keeping track of Wildlife in Devon
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Devon GHB Communities
Conference 2018
Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC)
Keeping track of Wildlife in Devon
What is DBRC? • Established in 1996, hosted by Devon Wildlife Trust and run by a partnership of local authorities, conservation organisations and natural history groups • We collect and manage data on terrestrial and marine wildlife species, sites and habitats in Devon • We make this information available to all • Members of the public • Researchers and students • Ecological consultants • Conservation organisations • Local authorities • We are one in a national network of Local Environmental Records Centres
Our purpose • To maintain comprehensive, up to date and robust information on the state of Devon’s natural environment, particularly wildlife habitats and species • To promote and provide access to that information to support better understanding and enjoyment of Devon’s wildlife as well as its protection and enhancement • To encourage and facilitate co-operation and communication between all those involved with recording biodiversity in the county
Sources: Where does the data come from? • DBRC’s survey programme • Data agreements with conservation organisations • Recording groups and schemes – exchange or donation • Incidental records from members of the public • Reports and papers by environmental consultants, local authorities, NGOs and research institutions • Landowners and land managers • Public engagement surveys
Types of record: species data
Devon species: an incomplete map
Species
Devon's CWS are a stronghold for a number of Nationally & Internationally
important species
Photo - © John Walters www.johnwalters.co.uk
Photo - © John Walters www.johnwalters.co.uk
Devon Special Species
Photo - © John Walters
www.johnwalters.co.uk
Photo - © Mike Symes
Photo – © Steven Falk
www.stevenfalk.co.uk
Keeping track of Wildlife in Devon
Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria Cirl Bunting (photo © Mike Langman - www.mikelangman.co.uk)
Marsh Fritillary - © Chris Root
Wood White Leptidea sinapis
Waxcap grasslands (photo © Charlie Elder www.charlieelder.com)
Policy drivers shaping data outputs
County Wildlife Sites of Devon
What are County Wildlife Sites?
• Sites with high ecological value or potential
• The majority are designated for the presence of priority habitats
• Also rare or threatened species
• Cover over 30,000 ha of Devon – almost 5% of the county
• Non-statutory - NOT legally protected
• ARE taken into account within the planning system
• Often privately owned and reliant on landowners instigating sensitive
management
• Known in other Counties as Local Wildlife Sites (LWS), Site of
Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and various other terms
Keeping track of Wildlife in Devonthe network that glues it all together
Map contains DBRC data
There are still many sites we don’t
know about…What Habitats?
Lots! Devon is a very diverse County
• Varied geology & hydrology
• Two contrasting coast lines and associated estuaries
• The uplands – including the entirety of Dartmoor and the western
portion of Exmoor
• Many priority habitats associated with each of these landscape
features
• Relatively undeveloped
Keeping track of Wildlife in DevonThe
Biodiversity Monitoring Framework
• Set up (in 2009) with the aim of determining patterns of
change in priority habitats across the whole of Devon
• County wide resurvey effort focusing on County Wildlife
Sites
• Many CWS had not been revisited since their initial
designation in the early 1990’s, but DBRC have now seen
nearly 1000 since the project started
Keeping track of Wildlife in DevonManagement advice and signposting
• Landowners are provided with habitat
specific management advice following surveys
• Advice provided on sources of funding such
as Countryside Stewardship
• Signposting to other organisations or
projects that can provide further
management help and advice and/or
funding.
Keeping track of Wildlife in DevonData outputs
• Sending data to partners
• Following verification and validation of records data are sent to our local
authority and conservation organisation partners for use as evidence to
support their work (including informing planning decisions)
• Project and Survey reporting
• Outputs from selected projects and surveys published on the DBRC
website
• The results of habitat surveys are shared with landowners and managers
to inform ongoing management of sites
• Data search service
• A bespoke location-based search of DBRC’s data holdings can be
requested.
• Mainly used by ecological consultants working for developers or industry
to inform environmental appraisalsDBRC outputs – Data Search Service
• An interactive map of wildlife sites
and protected or notable species
within the search area is produced
• Local authorities use this information
to inform planning decisions
• Developers and consultants use this
information to plan further survey,
avoid impacts on protected species or
habitats or develop mitigation and
compensation proposals
• Members of the public also use data
search results to challenge planning
applications on environmental
groundsThank you
Contact details
iegerton@devonwildlifetrust.org
Devon Biodiversity Records Centre
27 Commercial Road
Exeter
EX2 4AE
01392 274128
http://www.dbrc.org.uk/You can also read
