Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre citizen science
How well do you know the key plants and animals in Mend the Gap programme area?
Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) has been funded by Mend the Gap for a project to look at key indicator and iconic species in Mend the Gap programme area, and to learn more about those that are observing wildlife. TVERC is a not-for-profit organisation that acts as a comprehensive information hub for wildlife in Oxfordshire and Berkshire.
What is being done?
TVERC has analysed and mapped the records that currently exist for some of the key indicator and iconic wildlife species in the Mend the Gap programme area. These include records over a 30-year period for trees, wildflowers, mammals, birds, and insects. This is to help us better understand species monitoring needs in the Mend the Gap area.
Thames Valley Environemental Records centre
After the initial mapping work, Mend the Gap is funding the Thames Valley Environmental Records centre to make sure that all records of its signature trees are in the records centre.
What will this mean
Part one is a desktop exercise, the collection and transfer of records to the central recording system with the production of GIS files that would be shared with the National Landscapes.
Part two is the field work, this section would involve, skilled recorders with the landowners permission, verifying the records and taking peers with them (where possible local residents) to identify where the trees are.
This field work would be supported by a pre field training session to make sure that the new volunteers were trained before they went into the field with for the field work.
This training would take place a Withymead Nature reserve where all of these species are found.
Base line report