The Trustees of the NBN held an Extraordinary General Meeting to review and refresh the NBN Strategy. They invited guests to help them with this exercise, which took place over two days at the Natural History Museum from 27-28th February.
An analysis of the threats, challenges and opportunities likely to occur over the next 5-20 years formed the backdrop to discussions designed to draw out the strengths and weaknesses of the NBN. A variety of possible actions were identified which drew upon the skills available across the partnership as a whole. Some of the ideas that emerged were evolutionary, but others were more revolutionary, as you might expect. The participants were all acutely aware of the challenging financial environment we all work in, but in general the mood was very upbeat concerning the future of the NBN.
The NBN is often characterised by the NBN Gateway and the embodiment of the data sharing principles that underpin what we do , but it was seen as a servant to the business needs rather than master – its development should follow business needs not drive or shape them. Of greater importance, it was recognised that recorders in the field, sustained by enthusiasm and supported by hard won skills, lie at the heart of the NBN and must be nurtured and assisted in responding to the increasing calls for the data they generate. Part of this will be through supporting ‘citizen science’ or increased public participation in recording – it is from this pool that the skilled recorders of tomorrow can be drawn. It was recognised that the NBN has exposed biological data to new data users and their needs must be serviced, but the core users of the NBN remain the principle driving force – the recorders themselves, national and local schemes and societies, LERCs and the public sector agencies.
The group felt that more could, and should, be done to share skills across the NBN; we can all learn from the experiences of others, and that more must be done to listen to and understand the needs of recorders themselves.
The Chairman of the NBN, aided by the Chief Executive and Treasurer, has convened a small working party to explore further the issues that were raised. This working group will change over time as the matters under consideration change, but the broad objective is to identify the key priorities, who is best placed to carry the necessary actions forward and how the Trust itself can best engage with this process through direct action and facilitation.
We will report further in due course.