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Annual Report 2016 UKBMS Annual Report 2016

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Annual Report 2016 UKBMS Annual Report 2016 The UKBMS UKBMS partners The UKBMS is run by Butterfly Conservation (BC), the Centre for Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), and the British Trust for Ornithology Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB (BTO), in partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation www.ceh.ac.uk Committee (JNCC), and supported and steered by Forestry Commission (FC), Natural England (NE), Natural Resources Wales Butterfly Conservation, Manor Yard, (NRW), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (DOENI), and East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). www.butterfly-conservation.org The members of the UKBMS SG in 2016 were Tom Brereton (BC), British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, David Roy (CEH), David Noble (BTO), Deborah Procter and Anna Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU Robinson (JNCC), Keith Porter (NE), Dylan Lloyd (NRW), Simon www.bto.org Foster (SNH), Julia Garritt (FC) and John O’Boyle (DOENI). Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Monkstone House, City Road, Team Peterborough, PE1 1JY www.jncc.defra.gov.uk Overall project management, conservation uses, biodiversity indicators Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Professor Tom Brereton, Butterfly Conservation, Klondyke Building, Cromac Avenue, Gasworks Business Park, Belfast, BT7 2JA, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP. Northern Ireland. Tel: 01929 406019, email: [email protected] http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/ CEH project management and research uses Dr David Roy, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Natural Resources Wales, Tŷ Cambria, 29 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 0TP Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB. Tel 01491 692517, email: [email protected] National Office Forestry Commission, General enquiries, support for recorders and 620 Bristol Business Park, Coldharbour Lane, co-ordinators Bristol, BS16 1EJ www.forestry.gov.uk Ian Middlebrook, Butterfly Conservation, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP. Tel: 01929 406032, email: [email protected] Head Office, Natural England, Foundry House, 3 Millsands, Riverside Exchange, Sheffield, Data requests and species trends S3 8NH www.naturalengland.org.uk Dr Marc Botham, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB. Scottish Natural Heritage, Great Glen House, Tel 01491 692517, email: [email protected] Leachkin Road, Inverness, IV3 8NW www.snh.gov.uk Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey Dr Zoë Randle, Butterfly Conservation, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP. Tel: 01929 406006, email: [email protected] Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the financial contribution Sarah Harris (Breeding Bird Survey National Organiser) by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Butterfly British Trust for Ornithology, Conservation, the British Trust for Ornithology, the Centre The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU for Ecology & Hydrology, Natural Resources Wales, Forestry Tel: 01842 750050, email: [email protected] Commission, Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage. We are indebted to all the volunteers who co-ordinate Citation and contribute data to the scheme throughout the United Brereton, T.M., Botham, M.S., Middlebrook, I., Randle, Z., Noble D. & Kingdom, as well as to those who allow access to their land Roy, D.B. 2017. United Kingdom Butterfly Monitoring Scheme report and in some cases actively promote butterfly monitoring for 2016. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology & Butterfly Conservation thereon. We would like to thank the photographers for allowing their superb images to be used in this report. This report can be downloaded from Finally we would like to thank the Joint Reprographic Services http://www.ukbms.org/reportsandpublications.aspx (JRS) Unit - part of the support services to the UK Research Cover photograph of Grizzled Skipper. One of six species, which had Councils - for designing and printing the report. their worst year since the start of monitoring in 1976. Photograph by Iain Leach 2 Contents and online resources News and research 4 Highlights in numbers 4 UKBMS funding secured for five more years 4 40 years of butterfly monitoring: a celebration 4 UKBMS online data entry system update 5 How butterflies are faring on National Trust land 5 European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (eBMS) update 6 New citizen science survey to monitor pollinators 6 UKBMS Research uses in 2016 7 Ongoing projects 7 Butterflies are vulnerable to warm winters 7 Peer reviewed research publications in 2016 7 Background and methods 8 Species indices and trends 8 Composite measures of butterfly abundance 9 Sample coverage 10 2016 was the fourth worst year on record for butterflies. Photograph by Zoe Caals UKBMS sites 10 Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey (WCBS) squares 10 Online resources The 2016 season 12 Further information on the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, including Summary 12 individual species and site trends, and how to take part in butterfly Seasonal and monthly round up 12 monitoring can be found at: http://www.ukbms.org/ Long-term trends 16 For the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey go to United Kingdom 16 http://www.ukbms.org/wcbs.aspx England 16 Scotland 17 For online data entry go to http://www.ukbms.org/mydata/ Wales 18 Northern Ireland 18 For information on Biodiversity Indicators go to Summary tables of species trends 19 - 23 http://www.jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1824 The following links provide more information on the UKBMS delivery partner organisations: Butterfly Conservation: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/ Centre for Ecology & Hydrology: http://www.ceh.ac.uk/ British Trust for Ornithology: http://www.bto.org/ Brown Hairstreak. One of 16 species which showed an annual increase in 2016. Photograph by Iain Leach 3 News and research were also discussed as we start to plan the development of UKBMS HIGHLIGHTS IN NUMBERS the scheme for the next 40 years. The tremendous scientific achievements of the UKBMS (used in over 150 peer-reviewed 29,413 publications) were described and celebrated by a unique The number of transect visits made in 2016 gathering of renowned contributors including Professor Jeremy Thomas, Professor Chris Thomas, Dr Chris van Swaay, Dr Keith Porter, Dr David Roy, Dr Tom Oliver, Dr Marc Botham, Professor Tom Brereton and not least originator Dr Ernie Pollard. 1,233,840 The number of butterflies counted in 2016. It was particularly fascinating to hear from Ernie Pollard, giving his first butterfly talk in over 20 years and his first with modern PowerPoint technology. Ernie rolled back the years 2,507 in a remarkable performance talking through the inception The UKBMS continues to grow, with a record 2,507 locations of the scheme, the reasons why it was considered important monitored in 2016 back in the early seventies and how the scheme was piloted at Monks Wood and nearby localities to develop a suitable http://www.ukbms.org/wcbs.aspx standardized methodology which could be replicated at sites 2,266 across the UK. It was a real eye opener into the history of the The online system continues to be developed with the facility to scheme, some of the issues faced and enter timed counts and full integration with the Wider Countryside the lack of technology we have all come Butterfly Survey (WCBS). There are now over 2,266 registered users to take for granted these days. Ernie was of the system. keen to point out that Norman Moore had Research Papers 2015 Research Papers 2015 inspired the idea and that he was helped Research Papers 2015 by a fantastic team. Ernie also covered a 9 small fraction of some of the interesting The number of major research publications in 2016 using research he carried out on data collected UKBMS data. 24,116,305 in the early years of the scheme – indeed many of the research questions we Dr Ernie Pollard with his 24,116,305 address today Ernie had already started to Lifetime Achievement The number of butterflies counted on transects since 1976 Award for contributions to ask and provide an insight to, providing a the UKBMS. Photograph by fantastic platform from which to work. Jim Asher UKBMS FUNDING SECURED FOR FIVE MORE YEARS We are pleased to announce that BC, CEH, BTO and JNCC have Following the talks, the achievements of some of the scheme’s agreed a partnership for the continuation of the UKBMS for longest serving and most dedicated contributors were another five years, with substantial investment from all partners. recognised. Awards were presented by Dr Martin Warren, retiring This is excellent news, in particular to secure continued funding Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation. Awards included: for five rather than three years which has been the norm in • Dr Ernie Pollard: lifetime contribution; recent partnership renewals. The new partnership agreement • John Rowell: most butterflies counted – 222,259 at runs from April 2017 until March 2022. The work programme Whippingham and Parkhurst Forest transects; will largely be as in recent years, though there are some small- scale efficiency savings being made. One important action is • Mike Slater: most transects walked - 11 in Warwickshire, the full switch over to online data entry by 2019. We will also totalling 2816 visits since 1991; continue to seek additional funds to improve the online data • Richard Williamson: furthest walked - 5,795km at Kingley entry and reporting
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