We are thrilled to announce that we have won the Wildlife Recording Group Award at the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Awards for Wildlife Recording!
The NBN Group Award was awarded for the Society’s commitment to data collection, which in recent years has led to the publication of the IUCN-compliant Red List of at risk mammals, the Review of the Population and Conservation Status of Britain’s Mammals in 2018, the State of Nature Report 2019, Atlas of the Mammals of Britain and Northern Ireland in 2020, and the soon to be published State of Mammals in Wales. The new Mammal Mapper app was developed to address the urgent need for more information about our mammals, including common species such as moles and foxes, which have vital roles to play in a healthy environment. The distribution maps and data have also been used to help identify places where hedgehogs are at risk of being killed on roads, and to help us design a species recovery plan for water voles in Wales.
Chair of the Mammal Society, Fiona Mathews, said “Thanks to the work of our thousands of volunteers, and the tireless army of verifiers, we have been able to shine a light on the perilous status of Britain’s mammals. We are delighted to have received this award, which recognises the enormous efforts that have been made by so many people, and are now working to find solutions to our most pressing conservation problems.”
In addition, Mammal Society member and founder member of Staffordshire Mammal Group, Derek Crawley, was runner up in the Group Award for Wildlife Recording (Terrestrial) category.
Derek was nominated for his huge contribution to data collection for both the Staffordshire Mammal Group and the Mammal Society. Derek has been recording mammals in one form or another since becoming the Hillington’s Natural History Society mammal recorder in 1976. As well as being a local verifier and taking the lead in the production of the Atlas of the Mammals of Britain and Northern Ireland, he has helped to develop two mammal recording apps for the Society.
Also shortlisted for the NBN Newcomer Award was Mammal Society Science Officer, Frazer Coomber, for his drive and commitment to the Mammal Mapper app project.
To read more about the NBN Awards for wildlife recording click here.
