Recording Activity: Targeted surveys of priority species

Detailed information is needed for most rare and threatened species to ensure that their populations are protected and managed correctly. However, such information is often lacking, even for key sites such as nature reserves, due to a general lack of monitoring by conservation organisations. As a consequence, BSBI recorders play a vital role across Britain and Ireland in collecting information on the continued presence of priority species. A valuable activity for BSBI recorders is therefore to undertake targeted recording of one or more of the following priority species in their counties: 

• Nationally rare and scarce species
• Threatened species
• County rarities
• Axiophytes

Up to date lists of all the above species are available in the BSBI Distribution Database under Tools|Checklists.

1. Make sure you are set up with access to the BSBI Distribution Database and the BSBI Recording App.
2. See which species are categorised as rare, threatened or axiophytes in your county. County Rare Plant Registers (CRPRs) are a good place to start as these include all national and local rarities and in some cases axiophytes. List of species included in CRPRs are listed in the BSBI Distribution Database under Tools|Checklists. If your county doesn’t have a CRPR then lists of rare, scarce or threatened species and axiophytes are also available under Tools|Checklists.
3. Select a species that interests you, ideally one whose distribution needs updating.
4. Visit known sites listed in the CRPR or the BSBI Distribution Database to see if it is still present and record presence to at least 100 m resolution and, where possible, record population sizes and habitats using the BSBI Recording App. If the species can’t be found then please submit a ‘null return’ by choosing ‘Absent’ under the ‘Abundance’ field.