As the UK’s national biodiversity data infrastructure, our mission is simple but essential: making data work for nature.
Through the NBN Atlas – the UK’s largest publicly accessible biodiversity data platform – we host over 310 million species occurrence records, connecting monitoring schemes, recording initiatives, and the incredible community of people who record, share, and use biodiversity data.
Each month, our Data Team processes and publishes new and updated datasets from some of our 200 data partners. Their contributions ensure the NBN Atlas remains a vital, trusted resource for research, conservation, and decision-making.
The January data processing update lifted our data holdings from 304 million to over 310 million! Below, we’re pleased to highlight the latest additions and updates to the NBN Atlas.
Major updates for butterfly monitoring
UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme
📈 2,039,897 new records added
🔢 Total now over 10 million
Wider Countryside Butterfly Scheme
📈 127,187 new records
🔢 Total now 541,000
Significant contributions from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)/JNCC/RSPB partnership
Non-avian taxa
📈 35,118 new records
🔢 Total now nearly 194,000
Birds
📈 2,698,688 new records
🔢 Total, now an incredible 20,538,008
Updates from local and national partners
Leicestershire & Rutland Environmental Records Centre
📈 120,293 pre-2000 records added
🔢 Total now over 311,000
Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall & Isles of Scilly
📈 First ORKS Wildlife Recording Platform, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly data added
🔢 311,331 records
Natural History Museum collections, science and digitisation centre – Collection Specimens
📈 1,204,652 records updated
Natural England
📈 84,000 updated records for Invertebrate Common Standards Monitoring and ISIS Test Data
MammalWeb
📈 23,000 new records
🔢 Total now 229,000
And a final thank you…to Ealing Wildlife Group, who shared 103 new records from their amphibian survey, 2025 bat survey, and 2024-2025 Brown hairstreak survey – demonstrating that every record matters.
🔢 Total now 154 records
A huge thank you to all our data partners for your continued commitment to sharing high-quality biodiversity data. Your contributions strengthen the NBN Atlas and support evidence-based conservation across the UK.
We look forward to bringing you the next data updates in February!
You can find a map and list showing all of our data partners on the NBN Atlas.