We have just published the NatureSpot Annual Report for 2017 - so how did we do?
- 47,392 records were submitted in 2017, a 9% increase on the previous year.
- The number of different species recorded each year has grown steadily, with 3,713 recorded in 2017. The total number of species from VC55 (Leicestershire and Rutland) recorded by the end of 2017 was 5,664, an increase of 363 over the year.
- The total overall number of contributing recorders was 872. There has been an increase in the average number of records submitted by each recorder, indicating greater commitment to recording from regular members and/or an increase in the range of species they feel confident to identify.
- Total number of website visits for the year was 802,803 (669,915 unique), a 76% increase on 2016.
- We completed a major upgrade to the website. This involved a number of design changes to modernise and refresh the overall appearance and to improve access to the site on mobile devices – which are now used by half of our visitors.
What do we need to do?
- Encourage people to keep submitting records, including new recorders and our valuable veterans.
- Fill the gaps - as with most biological recording there is a strong recorder bias to the data, with a familiar pattern. The main gap is in the east of Leicestershire and the far west, with perhaps a surprising paucity of records from the north east of the city.
You can help us achieve these aims - in fact, we can't do it without you.