Keiron Brown manages the FSC BioLinks project for the Field Studies Council. In his spare time he is a NFBR Council member, Chair of the Ecology & Entomology section of the London Natural History Society and runs the earthworm recording scheme for the Earthworm Society of Britain. In this article he tells us about an upcoming biological recording virtual conference focusing on recording in urban environments.
This spring the National Forum for Biological Recording (NFBR) will be exploring ‘Outside the Honeypot: Wildlife recording in the urban world’, with a 2-day virtual conference showcasing some fantastic projects and initiatives about wildlife recording in habitats that we tend to think of as reserved for humans.
A conference for everyone… naturalists, volunteers and professionals
The NFBR is the independent voice of Biological Recording in the UK, and each year they host a conference to share biological recording stories and learning with sector professionals and volunteer recorders. 
NFBR conferences enable delegate to find out what biological recording projects are taking place (Gary Hedges will update us on the fantastic Tanyptera Project in the North West of England), how you can get involved (such as the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme that Martin Harvey will be talking about) and what biological records are telling us about the state of the UK’s wildlife (Liam Olds will report on wildlife on colliery sites).
These conferences are also a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and share our various passions for both the well-studied groups (such as in Dawn Balmer’s talk in urban bird recording) and the under-appreciated groups (Imogen Cavadino will challenge us to appreciate our garden slugs more in her talk about the research that she’s currently undertaking).
Going virtual
Usually the NFBR conference is a physical conference that is hosted at a different UK location each year, but this year it will be a virtual affair. The NFBR have enlisted the help of the World Museum, Tanyptera Project and FSC BioLinks Project to make sure this year the conference is something special.
The fact that it is virtual, means that it’s much easier for people from around the UK (even the far-flung corners of the British Isles) to attend. That means there is a whopping 500 spaces available so book your ticket and spread the word…
Wildlife Recording in the Urban Word programme
For a full programme including start times, end times and breaks see the FSC website.
Thursday 6th May Programme: Linking people and nature and research
09:40 Keynote: Mathew Frith
10:30 Urban bird recording. Dawn Balmer
11:15 Working with housing associations to improve biodiversity. Jodey Peyton
11:35 Linking people and pollinators: UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. Martin Harvey
11:55 A journey into urban wildlife recording. Karen McCartney
12:15 Tanyptera Trust updates. Gary Hedges
Friday 7th May Programme: Urban recording and Brownfield sites
09:35 Keynote – Data for Nature. Liz Ballard
10:25 Wildlife on colliery sites. Liam Olds
11:00 Slimy, sticky and unloved: slugs in UK gardens. Imogen Cavadino
11:20 The Urban Nature Project at The Natural History Museum. Sam Thomas
11:40 Challenges of recording nature in cities. Stuart Fraser
12:00 Urban beetle recording. Don Stenhouse
13:00 Workshop session
- Workshop A: Urban species mixes and botanical recording. Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz
- Workshop B: Urban grassland condition assessments. Jonathan Dent
Further information and booking
Tickets for this two-day event are highly subsidised and JUST £5 for attendance to the whole event!
Tickets are being managed by the FSC BioLinks project, so you can find more info on the event and buy your tickets from the FSC website: https://www.field-studies-council.org/shop/courses/national-forum-for-biological-recording-2021-conference/
Author: Keiron Derek Brown
Date Published: 20/03/2021
