Natural England needs herpetofauna surveillance and monitoring data for various purposes: with regard to interest features on designated sites, status of BAP and other nationally important species, assessment of national trends in widespread species, European legal obligations for Species of Community Interest, information for miscellaneous casework tasks, and data on non-native species. At present much of the data is lacking, patchily distributed across many organisations, and collected to different standards. There is also no assessment of the precise needs of English Nature and how the available data might meet those needs; in addition an assessment of the desired future data collection and management is required.
This report explores information needs, methodologies, sampling strategies, delivery mechanisms, personnel, voluntary involvement, popularity, logistics, coordination, data issues, and resource implications. It then sets out indicative costed options for a national recording scheme.
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