Biological Recording

 

Click for details of local and national surveys you can get involved with.

 

Recorders’ input required!

The input of recorders is extremely valuable when decisions are being made which could affect them. You can influence outcomes!

Data flow and data verification:

Once a biological record has been made, there are several places to which it could be submitted: a local records centre (LRC) such as SEWBReC, a national recording scheme, the relevant Vice County Recorder, the National Biodiversity Network (NBN)… Currently, there is no standard data flow or data exchange procedure in place between these bodies, which can result in a record being duplicated in a database, or worse, not being passed on to all those for whom it was intended.

A further consideration is data quality. There is a need for records to be validated by an expert; Vice County Recorders are ideally placed for this purpose, making them a vital component of a data flow network.

With the aim of clarifying the data flow situation, the Wales Environmental Information Steering Group (WEIS Group), a working group of the Wales Biodiversity Partnership, has identified targets to audit and map the current situation, collate current issues, and to map optimum data flow.

How you can help: A questionnaire has been produced with the aim of determining who sends which records where and to help identify what your ideal flow of data might be. We also hope to gauge people's feelings towards the NBN Gateway. We would appreciate it if you could spend a few minutes of your time completing this questionnaire and submitting it to SEWBReC.
As SEWBReC is constantly striving to improve the quality of the data we hold, we would also like to get the process of validating the data in the database moving; for this we need the help of experts. If you think you could contribute, please complete the relevant sections of the questionnaire and let us know. Thank you for your time.

 

Beginners and Occasional Recorders

SEWBReC actively encourages the recording of wildlife and is always interested in receiving additional records. It is possible to make useful records with no specialist knowledge. If you are unsure of your identification, please let us know, as we may be able to provide assistance or contact a local expert to help.

SEWBReC is interested in receiving records of all species, no matter how common or widespread. There are many places within our area for which we hold few or no records. So please help us to fill in these gaps.

Please see our Beginner's Guide to Biological Recording and using a GPS.

 

Submitting Records

For occasional records, SEWBReC has developed some simple methods for you to submit your sightings:

  1. Use our ON-LINE RECORDING FORM to submit your records or download our RECORDING SPREADSHEET (Excel format) then email the completed form to us; or
  2. Download our Casual Sighting Report Form (pdf) (click on the link to open, or right click and choose 'save link/target as' to save the file to your computer for future use); or
  3. Pass details of your sighting to SEWBReC via letter, email, phone or fax (see Contacts and Links page for full contact details). Please remember to include what you saw, where you saw it (a grid reference and location name), the date of sighting, your name and contact details plus any other relevant information.

 

Experienced Biological Recorders

For experienced recorders who generate significant numbers of records there are two main approaches for data submission:

  1. Submit your records to the relevant Vice County Recorder (VCR) or Recording Group (see link below for contact details). Your records will then be validated, incorporated into the VCR's dataset and then passed to SEWBReC (usually on an annual basis); or
  2. Establish a "Data Exchange Agreement" directly with SEWBReC. This enables you to submit data using methods and timescales of your choice. Data may still be passed back to Vice County Recorders for validation. In return for submitting your data, SEWBReC will offer you a range of support services. Click here for details of these Services to Data Suppliers.

 

Vice County Recorders and Recording Groups

If you are the County Recorder for a taxonomic group and you don't already have a Data Exchange Agreement with SEWBReC, then please contact us to discuss this further.

Click here to view our Interactive Map of County Recorders and Recording Groups for each Unitary Authority area within South East Wales.

 

Recording Cards

The Biological Records Centre provides a wide range of record cards e.g. for vascular plants or Odonata. These can be downloaded here.