What is the NBN Trust?
The National Biodiversity Network Trust was set up as an independent charity in 2000 to oversee and facilitate the development of the Network. It is a UK-wide public/ voluntary sector partnership established in 2000 as a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity.
Membership
The full members of the Trust are drawn from non-governmental organisations and government agencies, namely:
In addition there are Supporter Members, mainly voluntary recording organisations, or Local Records Centres with a few commercial organisations.
The Board of the Trust is made up of senior conservation professionals appointed annually by the membership and presided over by an independent chairman; presently, this is Sir Neil Chalmers.
What does the NBN Trust do?
The NBN Trust’s first priority is to facilitate the development of the National Biodiversity Network. So one of the main roles of the Trust is to communicate what needs to be done and how to do it. The NBN Secretariat was set up in 1999 to run this function for the Network. The secretariat is made up of a Communications Officer, Business Administrator and Chief Executive. Their main functions are to:
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Communicate progress and other news, through publications such as NBN News, the websites, the forum, annual reports, leaflets and advice notes
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Organise meetings, seminars and events to bring people together to help steer NBN development and to bring other organisations together to discuss their needs as part of the Network
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Run the business and administration of the NBN Trust and its trading company BioD Services Ltd and to ensure that all grants, donations and other funds are correctly managed.
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Provide help desks for the Gateway, mapping and for general enquiries
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Distribute products such as map tiles and boundary data, sometimes free of charge, to anyone
The principal objectives of the Trust as noted in its Memorandum and Articles are:
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to improve and ensure the accuracy and verifiability of collected biodiversity data and to promote its effective collation and interpretation;
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to develop an electronic network connecting all known data holders through the Internet, and to promote public access, with appropriate safeguards for sensitive and personal data.
The NBN data exchange principles form the foundation for how the Trust operates the Network and secures funding. They are also a starting point for providing advice and guidance to anyone wishing to share data. The Trust therefore funds a dedicated member of staff, the Data Access Officer, to manage all the issues of sharing and accessing data, to find solutions and to pass this knowledge on
Sharing data through the NBN Gateway requires some technical knowledge and ability. Understanding that these skills are not always available, NBN Trust has provided the funding for two Technical Liaison officers to ensure technical ability doesn’t prohibit participation in the Network. This is achieved by providing technical support, training and advice and by developing software tools to make the processes easier.
But even when the tools and supporting principles have been put in place it can still be difficult for some of the smaller organisations such as biological recording schemes and local records centres to participate. For many years the NBN Trust has been funding projects to work with such organisations to develop their working practices and to help them secure funding so that they can become more involved. Even the larger organisations need assistance with how to make best use of the Network. Consequently, with the help of Defra, the NBN Trust funds a business analyst to assess each one’s business case for the NBN. By doing this the Trust forges strong relationships with its members, increases commitment and secures the future success of the Network.
In 1999, to help co-ordinate all this work, Scottish Natural Heritage seconded a member of its management team to the role of a Programme Director now the Chief Executive. As well as directing all the work to build and develop the Network, the Programme Director was also responsible for promoting the NBN, and the contributions made by its participants, in order to increase understanding of the benefits and to encourage its expansion.
Statements of Intent
In 2007 the NBN Trust introduced Statements of Intent which are living documents that outline what an organisation is going to contribute to the NBN and what it expects in terms of service & development priorities for partnership working. These are published and available from this site.
Membership
Membership of the NBN Trust continues to grow as does the network of people and organisations sharing their data. It is the members of the Trust, and other contributors that provide the finances and resources to support the Network. These resources, however, would not have been enough to carry out the necessary work without the support of Defra, who since 2001, have contributed substantially to the technical development, testing and support.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the NBN Trust please visit our membership pages for more information.