compared the IMD scores for our scheme respondents with the
mean, median and 95% confidence intervals of national and local
IMD scores based on 1000 iterations of the re-sampled datasets.
Results
Review of UK recording schemes
A total of 28 public recording schemes were found through the
internet review, representing the different levels of commitment
and expertise required for participation in the schemes. Of these,
ten were run on a national level, and nineteen on a local level. Two
of the national schemes and five of the local ones were not cur-
rently running. Analysis of the schemes revealed that there is a wide
range
of
expertise
and
commitment
levels
required
to
participate
in
wildlife
recording
schemes
on
both
the
national
and
local
scale,
and for many different wildlife taxa (Table 3). At the simplest end
of the scale, the British Waterways wildlife survey gathers ad hoc
sightings of any wildlife from waterways (Waterscape, 2011). On a
more structured basis, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
(RSPB) Garden BirdWatch (GBW) requires participants to record
birds
during
one
hour
of
a
specific
weekend,
with
results
submit-
ted
soon
after
(RSPB,
2010).
The
highest
commitment
was
required
from participants of the National Amphibian and Reptile Recording
Scheme (NARRS). Participants in the NARRS scheme are encouraged
to attend identification training events, and are then assigned a ran-
dom Ordnance Survey grid square on a map and asked to conduct a
survey with several repeat visits on the site, having arranged their
own transport, equipment and landowner access (NARRS, no date).
Interviews
with
recording
scheme
organisations
Details of the schemes that were included in the interviews
were
collected
from
online
information
and
through
discussion
with interviewees, in order to make a summary (Table 4) based on