Are you a nature enthusiast? Do you have experience in species identification and wildlife surveys? Would you like the opportunity to visit protected sites, contribute to TVERC’s records, and play a role in the success of the Berkshire Local Wildlife Sites Project? You may be able to help TVERC with its survey work!
Please note: Surveys and procedures are constantly being reviewed and will be undertaken in line with the UK government’s and CIEEMs latest advice on Covid-19.
About the role
Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) are looking for enthusiastic volunteer naturalists with good identification skills and an ability to work alone in the field to help out with additional species surveys on a range of Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) across the county of Berkshire in 2021. The LWS cover a range of habitat types including woodland, wetland, heathland, bog and grassland, and have the potential to support a variety of rare species.
The findings of these surveys will feed into the Berkshire Local Wildlife Sites Project and inform decisions on how to develop and manage land sustainably and where to direct wildlife conservation work.
The LWS project aims to assess sites against the selection criteria every 10 years. In order to do this TVERC has the resources to carry out a habitat survey; however, many sites may be eligible to meet the LWS criteria based on their value for rare species and/or important species assemblages. At present, TVERC staff do not have the capacity to conduct the additional surveys required for a comprehensive assessment against all the criteria. Volunteer recorders and recording groups/schemes are vital to helping the record centre collect the additional records required to assess sites.
You will have the opportunity to
- visit notable sites which may not be accessible to the general public
- gain experience of recording and enhance your field skills
- work alongside enthusiastic and professional ecologists
- contribute to a valuable resource for conservation
Where
Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) in West Berkshire, Reading, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM), Bracknell Forest and Wokingham.
The volunteer will ideally
- Be experienced in species identification, possibly with expert knowledge in specific taxonomic groups or species
- Good map reading skills
- An ability to work alone in the field
- An ability to travel independently to remote sites
- An enthusiasm for wildlife and nature conservation
You will need to register with TVERC as a volunteer and agree to follow their health and safety and their lone working guidelines. Travel expenses will be reimbursed (up to £20/day).
About TVERC
Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) collects, analyses and shares geodiversity and biodiversity information in Berkshire and Oxfordshire to help people make sound decisions about how to develop and manage land sustainably and where to direct wildlife conservation work.
TVERC provides information to local authorities, parish councils, local people, conservation bodies, land-owners, agencies, students and commercial organisations such as ecological consultants and utilities companies via data searches, data licensing and data exchanges. About two-thirds of the data held by TVERC is provided by amateurs and volunteers.
TVERC uses their website, newsletters, reports, events and social media to encourage people to learn about wildlife so they can submit records. The record centre also use these as communication tools in telling partners and potential clients about its data holdings and services.
Visit www.tverc.org for more information.
To register your interest
Please contact Caitlin Coombs, TVERC Biodiversity Officer, to discuss which sites you may be interested in and to make further arrangements: caitlin.coombs@oxfordshire.gov.uk