The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) comprises a suite of surveys carried out each year across the UK that generate data on butterfly abundance. The surveys are undertaken by volunteers and other recorders, who contribute their data free of charge. The scheme is operated as a partnership between the Centre For Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and Butterfly Conservation (BC) and is jointly sponsored by a multi-agency consortium of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Natural Environment Research Council (through CEH), BC, Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage. The UKBMS started in 1976 (few sites from 1973) with thirty-six sites increasing to over a thousand by 2010. On the majority of these sites, recorders walk a fixed route (divided into up to 15 sections) at their site every week from 1st April to 29th September (total of 26 weeks), each year, counting butterflies within defined limits (5m box) when weather meets certain criteria. Weather data is recorded at the time of the count. On some sites different survey techniques are employed to assess the abundance of species. These techniques include timed counts and larval web surveys in fixed areas. Habitat data is available for most transects. Data collected by UKBMS volunteers is captured electronically and undergoes quality assurance. Processed data is stored in an ORACLE database. A statistical model (Generalised Additive Model) is used to estimate an annual index of abundance at each site for each butterfly species. A further statistical model (Generalised Linear Model) is used to calculate national and regional population estimates (a collated index) for each species and is used to assess trends over time. National/regional indices of abundance for species are also combined to create composite indicators, published as Government indicators (e.g. http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-4236). The transect data is also used to measure the phenology (timing of appearance) of each species, each year at each site. The results of the UKBMS are disseminated via an oral presentation at an annual National Recorder's Meeting typically held in March, in an Annual Report, typically published in December, and via the UKBMS website (www.ukbms.org). UKBMS data is widely used for research; a list of publications as well as downloadable pdf copies of past Annual Reports is made available via the UKBMS website.
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