Scores of nature enthusiasts joined forces with scientists and local wildlife organisations last week to conduct a day-long ‘bioblitz’ in Plymouth.
Radford Woods was the location for the survey, with plants, mammals, bugs and birds all on the checklist for keen-eyed participants.
Organised by University of Plymouth, with support from the Devonshire Association Botany Section, Plymouth City Council and the Friends of Radford Woods, the aim of the project was to identify as many of the species as possible in a nine-hectare area of the woods.
The event was part of the Plymouth Woodland Project, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and based in the School of Biological Sciences at the University.
Alison Smith, Plymouth Woodland Project Community Scientist, and a researcher in the School of Biological and Marine Sciences at the University, said:
“With its mixture of woodland and marsh terrain, Radford Woods has recently been designated as a Local Nature Reserve, giving it protection as an important area for conservation.
“Bioblitzes like this are one of the ways the Plymouth Woodland Project is involving the community in monitoring biodiversity in our city's woodland reserves. This monitoring work is really important for understanding how things like climate change and other human influences affect our wildlife and how we can improve conservation efforts.”
