Project background
Dragonfly recording in the UK is carried out under the umbrella of the Dragonfly Recording Network (DRN). The principal national organisation is the British Dragonfly Society, but there are numerous local and regional organisations involved. The Dragonfly Recording Scheme, formerly run through the Biological Records Centre, has now been taken on independently through the DRN.
The “Atlas of the Dragonflies of Britain and Ireland” was published in 1996 by the BRC, encompassing data recorded up to 1992. Dragonfly recording has since focused on increasing knowledge of species biology, identifying and monitoring important sites, and on gaining greater detailed knowledge of the occurrence of species at the local level.
In 2005-06, a short-term project to collate more recent data, and in particular to make available detailed data from the BDS’s “Key Sites Project” was supported by funding from DEFRA made available through the NBN Trust. Data compiled from this project have also been made available through the NBN Gateway. Continuation of the work of this project, and developing the Society’s infrastructure for the future was the objective of theproject plan.
Aims and Objectives
The Dragonflies in Focus Project began in April 2007 with three years’ funding from Countryside Council for Wales, Environment Agency, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England. The six-year DiF project aims to produce robust and repeatable methods of recording and monitoring the status of dragonflies in Britain by:
• Developing a sustainable system for gathering, managing and using information about the status of dragonflies in the UK.
• Providing access to authoritative and reliable information on dragonflies, in particular through the National Biodiversity Network (NBN).
• Putting dragonflies more securely ‘on the map’ in the UK, through increased involvement of the BDS membership and the broader public.
• Producing a new revised Atlas of UK Dragonflies in 2013 (which can be used as a focal point for the above developments before that date).
These will be achieved by:
• Developing the recording and monitoring programme.
• Improving the scope and quality of records.
• Developing, in partnership with local organisations, a national system for collating and managing dragonfly records.
• Increasing participation by volunteers in a range of surveillance activities.
• Sharing information with other organisations via the NBN.
The Dragonflies In Focus project was initially supported by:
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