Written by Eric Fletcher, RECORD
The 16th October saw the fourth ALERC annual conference held in the BVSC Centre in Birmingham. The conference attracted eighty delegates from over thirty Local Record Centres (LERCs) from across the UK and Ireland. The day included two presentations, one from ERCCIS (The Environmental Record Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) Intertidal Discovery Project followed by NBIS (Norfolk Biodiversity Information System) discussing their pilot cross taxa species surveillance work. The morning session closed with quick five-minute soapbox sessions including presentations and discussions which carried on into the subsequent lunch break. Following the AGM, the afternoon session included three presentations that formed the basis of subsequent open floor discussions.
Gary Lewis of ALERC opened proceedings, chairing the morning session and giving his address, focussing on achievements from the last year and his decision to stand down as chair of ALERC. The second of the day’s talks was provided by Martin Goodall, Data Manager and Intertidal Discovery Project Manager, who explained what’s involved in this innovative project. The Intertidal Discovery Project has been generously funded by the SITA Trust and provided an interesting case study for all LERC staff in attendance. Utilising a team of volunteers the project has been able to map the habitats along a 370km stretch of the north Cornwall coastline, the output from which will be an interactive online map allowing partners and members of the public to explore Cornwall’s coastline before setting out for the day.
Martin Horlock (NBIS Manager) provided the second of the days talks focusing on the Defra funded pilot species surveillance project. Martin described the success of the project so far – monitoring methodologies have been developed for a total of nine species groups covering a variety of habitats. Martin also alluded to the challenges that lay ahead; a lot of time and effort is needed to plan and implement species monitoring of this type. Both morning presentations highlighted the ability of LERC’s to attract volunteer recorders and the important role LERC’s play in targeted recording.
As usual our soapbox sessions provided food for thought and prompted some good discussion. Topics included LERC mentoring, Recorder 6 developments, the release of NBN Gateway 5, work of the ALERC National Coordinator and Dan Jones (Yorkshire and Humber Environmental Data Network) was able to dispel the myth that data has to be boring.
The afternoon was then given over to three talks followed by an open discussion forum, all based around the general theme of “The future of LERCs”. The first of the talks was provided by Karen Harper, London Invasive Species Initiative (LISI) Manager. LISI aims to develop a coordinated approach to invasive species recording within London. Karen highlighted the importance of partnership working and the need for a structured approach to recording invasive species as well as the benefits of being hosted by Greenspace Information for Greater London (GIGL).
Karen was followed by Steve Goddard, IT Officer at the Biodiversity Information System for Powys and the Brecon Beacons National Park (BIS), who provided a valuable opportunity to look at the new online mapping solution they are implementing. The DAT is a web based tool that provides users with direct access to ‘live’ data and presents new and exciting opportunities for engaging with partners and the public alike.
The third afternoon talk was provided by Dr Teresa Frost, manager at the Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC). Teresa showcased some of the data modelling work they have done in conjunction with the University of Leeds and the importance of museum held natural history collections as a valuable resource in supporting local recording. The data modelling work focussed on bat distribution within the Lake District and used CBDC bat data as a basis for the model.
Using LERC data to model trends and likely distribution patterns at a local level proved to be a source of inspiration, generating a great deal of discussion during the second half of the afternoon. A few words of caution were raised around misinterpretation of findings and the potential inflexibility in some models. However a number of other LERC representatives in attendance explained the data modelling work they had developed and how they feel data modelling can form a strong base for future LERC work.
The day seemed to fly past and many delegates were still networking long after the event had closed. The ALERC conference provides the one opportunity for LERC’s across the UK to meet and discuss the matters that impact them and it showed through the vibrant and engaging discussion generated on the day. The ALERC Directors would like to thank all those who presented at the conference and all the delegates who attended for making what we hope was a stimulating and enjoyable day for all.