Dr Claire Carvell, Coordinator of the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

1. Photo: Catherine Jones
1
Dr Claire Carvell
IES Forum 20th October 2020
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Pollinator Monitoring and Research
Partnership
poms@ceh.ac.uk
Monitoring pollinating insects
and other wildlife during 2020:
highs and lows for national
schemes

2. 1. UKCEH and the Biological Records Centre
2. ‘Structured’ vs ‘unstructured’ monitoring
schemes
3. Recording during lockdown
4. The Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS)
5. Challenges for analysing trends over time
and space
Outline

3. • UKCEH is an independent, not-for-profit
research institute
• Our 500 scientists work to understand the
environment, how it sustains life, and the
human impact on it.
• We provide the data and insights that
governments, businesses and researchers
need to create a productive, resilient and
healthy environment.
UK Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology

4. • BRC established in 1964 (hosted at UKCEH)
• provides a national focus in the UK for terrestrial and
freshwater species recording
• works closely with the voluntary recording
community, supporting recording schemes & societies
• BRC website lists 99 national schemes and societies:
• 82 recording schemes (unstructured)
• 8 monitoring schemes (structured)
• 9 other (study groups etc.)
• Monitoring schemes and larger recording schemes
have professional staff, most recording schemes are
run by one or a group of volunteers
The Biological Records Centre
and national recording schemes

5. What do we mean by unstructured vs structured surveys?
5

6. 6
Annual Status and trends reports for thousands of species, including
non-native species.
Data base, data collation and analytical tools for improved visualisation and reporting.

7. Wildlife recording during lockdown:
a personal view
7

8. 8
Graphic @ Beyond Words Studio
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/nature-liberated-by-lockdown.html
Across ALL taxon groups, compared with the same period 23 March – 11 July
2019, in 2020 there was:
• 15% increase in active recorders (1,700 more in 2020)
• 49% increase in number of records submitted
• How to separate genuine change from human behaviour?
Data from iRecord supplied by Martin Harvey @BRC

9. 9
Graphic @ Beyond Words Studio
BirdTrack data queries: dawn.balmer@bto.org

10. PoMS: an integrated approach using structured & unstructured data
10
unstructured
structured

11. volunteer recorders & landowners
Thank you
BWARS
Bees, Wasps & Ants
Recording Society
poms@ceh.ac.uk
The Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership

12. BWARS
Bees, Wasps & Ants
Recording Society
Powney et al. (2019) Nature Communications

13. Opportunistic records, status & trends
• To collect data on abundance of flower visitors and plant-
pollinator interactions across a variety of habitats and places
• In warm, dry weather April – September
• Count ALL insects that land on target flowers within 50×50cm
patch during 10-minute period
• Identification to insect group level (+ photos)
Flower-Insect Timed Counts (FIT Counts)
Target flower list
Bramble Buddleia
Buttercup Dandelion
Hawthorn Heather
Hogweed Knapweed
Lavender (English)
Ragwort Thistle
White Clover
White Dead-nettle Ivy
© Claire Carvell

14. Results from “Public” FIT Counts
Public FIT Counts GB 2018 2019 2020 to date
Number of FIT counts
submitted
584 809 ~ 1,800
Total number of insects
counted
5,452 10,651 ~ 18,000
Mean insects per count 9.3 13.2 ~ 10.4
© Claire Carvell
NB. Preliminary data subject to validation and review

15. Number of FIT Counts submitted
© Claire Carvell
NB. Preliminary data subject to validation and review

16. Total insects per FIT Count
© Claire Carvell
NB. Preliminary data subject to validation and review

17. NB. Preliminary data subject to validation and review
Insect
communities
across flowers
and
habitats from
FIT Count
data

18. • Network of 75 1km survey squares
• Stratified by country area and
relative cover of agricultural (AG) vs
semi-natural (SN) land
• Designed to detect broad GB-level
changes in pollinator groups and
some species
• Co-located with NPMS (England,
Scotland)
• Co-located with
ERAMMPP (Wales)
PoMS 1km square survey

19. Carrying out
the 1km survey
19
© Edwina Brugge
© Claire Carvell© Edwina Brugge

20. 1 km square surveys 2020 (from late July)
PoMS surveyor “this year it has been especially valuable to me.
I really needed to get out and do some fieldwork after the year
we’ve had and my mental state was improved massively by
the few days I managed to spend outdoors doing
what I enjoy most”
> 80 surveys over ca 45 squares (236 in 2019)

21. Modelling and analysis
Generalised Additive Mixed Model
all_insects_total ~
s(JulDate, by = country) +
flower_class + floral_unit_count +
flower_context + wind_speed +
sunshine + habitat_class +
country,
family = poisson,
random = ~(1l site_1 km)

22. Modelling and analysis
Integrated models using
both unstructured and
structured data
2017 – 2018 Final Report to Defra
http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Locati
on=None&ProjectID=19837&FromSearch=Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=be0
125&SortString=ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc&Paging=10

23. volunteer recorders & landowners
Martin Harvey (UKCEH) Dawn Balmer (BTO)
Thank you
BWARS
Bees, Wasps & Ants
Recording Society
poms@ceh.ac.uk
With thanks to:
www.ceh.ac.uk/pollinator-monitoring
Twitter: @PoMScheme