National Biodiversity Network Atlas

National Biodiversity Network Atlas
Name	National Biodiversity Network Atlas
Caption	Distribution map interface
Established	2013
Country	United Kingdom

Contents

National Biodiversity Network Atlas is an online platform that aggregates species occurrence data and distribution maps for the United Kingdom and its territories. It provides tools for visualization, download, and analysis to support conservation planning, scientific research, and public engagement across institutions such as Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural Resources Wales, Environment Agency (England and Wales), and Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The platform interoperates with national datasets produced by organisations including Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, British Trust for Ornithology, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Wildlife Trusts, and academic institutions like University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.

Overview

The Atlas aggregates occurrence records, distribution maps, and metadata to enable interrogation by spatial extent, taxon, and timeframe for species tracked by bodies such as Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Zoological Society of London, Natural History Museum, London, and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Users range from staff at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to volunteers from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and members of societies like Linnean Society of London and Royal Entomological Society. It links to datasets managed by organisations including National Trust, Historic England, Forestry Commission, Crown Estate, Scottish Wildlife Trust, and research projects at Imperial College London and University of Edinburgh.

Development drew on collaborations among institutions such as National Biodiversity Network, Natural England, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and academic partners like University College London and Queen Mary University of London. Early foundational work referenced inventories from Biological Records Centre, collections at Natural History Museum, London, and citizen science schemes run by British Dragonfly Society and Surrey Wildlife Trust. Funding and strategic support involved bodies such as Heritage Lottery Fund, European Commission, UK Research and Innovation, and charitable trusts including Wellcome Trust and NERC (Natural Environment Research Council). Over time technical contributions came from software teams associated with Ordnance Survey, Esri, Microsoft Research, and open data advocates like OpenStreetMap and Open Knowledge Foundation.

Records derive from museums such as Oxford University Museum of Natural History and National Museum of Scotland, recording schemes run by Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, British Trust for Ornithology, Mammal Society, Coleopterists Society, and community science platforms like iNaturalist and eBird. The Atlas includes taxonomic authority lists from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, nomenclature registries such as International Plant Names Index, and conservation status from IUCN Red List, UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and listings maintained by Species Recovery Trust. Spatial layers incorporate boundaries from Ordnance Survey, protected sites from Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation, and datasets managed by Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage.

The Atlas provides mapping viewers, download services, and APIs enabling integrations with analytical tools from organisations like Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Met Office, and universities including University of Leeds and University of Glasgow. Features support species distribution modeling in workflows used by researchers at University of Exeter, University of Stirling, and University of York, and allow overlays with land-use layers produced by Defra and imagery from providers such as Copernicus Programme and European Space Agency. Reporting capabilities assist statutory assessments led by Environment Agency (England and Wales), Natural Resources Wales, and conservation planning by RSPB and Wildlife and Countryside Link.

The Atlas informs statutory reporting required by directives and agreements such as Convention on Biological Diversity, EU Habitats Directive, and national strategies used by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It underpins research at institutions like University of Sheffield, University of Nottingham, University of Liverpool, and informs conservation actions by RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Zoological Society of London, and local wildlife trusts including Surrey Wildlife Trust and Lancashire Wildlife Trust. The platform supports environmental impact assessments for projects involving High Speed 2 (HS2), infrastructure planning by Network Rail, and marine conservation work coordinated with Marine Management Organisation and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Data licensing follows frameworks endorsed by Creative Commons and data standards promoted by Global Biodiversity Information Facility and Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), with sensitive species handling guided by protocols used by Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, and Environment Agency (England and Wales). Quality control procedures mirror best practice from Biological Records Centre, museum curatorial standards at Natural History Museum, London, and peer-reviewed methods developed in collaborations with Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and universities including Imperial College London and University of Cambridge. Data governance engages legal and policy stakeholders such as Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and charitable funders like Heritage Lottery Fund to balance open access with conservation safeguards.

Category:Biodiversity databases