Credit: Pond Arne
The Purbeck Heaths is one of the most biodiverse places in the UK, providing home to thousands of wildlife species including over 450 that are listed as rare, threatened, or protected. Every week, many enthusiastic naturalists go out on the reserve to record a wide variety of wildlife, including but not limited to numerous species of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and plants. Wildlife recording does not only bring great joy to those involved, but also gives us a better understanding of how our precious wildlife is doing. With thousands of records on a yearly basis, all these data help the landowners to manage and improve the conservation of the area.
The Purbeck Natural History Forum (PNHF) was established in 2022 to enable naturalists to record across the Purbeck landscape through facilitating access to multiple sites under ownership of various organisations, including private holdings. This provides naturalists with the opportunity to contribute to the understanding and management of the landscape as a whole and not a series of individual sites. By working together, and at scale, we are able to achieve so much more for nature.
Whether you are an amateur naturalist, an expert, or someone who just started to develop an interest in wildlife monitoring and recording, the PNHF is there to provide you with support and guidance.
Are you interested to join the Forum please fill in the form provided below. Membership is free and available to everyone with an interest in wildlife recording and monitoring. If you have any further questions about the Forum, please contact the Forum’s secretary through purbecknhf@gmail.com
The Forum aims to:
- Provide a central hub for information on volunteer wildlife monitoring across the Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve (NNR) and surrounding areas
- Provide survey guidance on species that are a priority for monitoring and recording, including any protocols and recording methods
- Collate species and environmental data to support the conservation management of the Purbeck Heaths and surrounding areas
- Provide support and guidance to members with regards to health and safety aspects during any field visits
- Provide accident insurance for volunteers whilst undertaking their activities
- Facilitates access to individual sites to conduct surveys
- Facilitate access to training and resources to support Forum members to encourage and develop the skills of new or existing naturalists
