Hidden Herefordshire Project Evaluation
This project, funded by NLHF, was designed to both enhance the capacity of the Herefordshire Biological Recording Centre and the capabilities of the biological recording community in the county. A partnership between the records centre (https://hbrc.org.uk/) and CLaN-CIC (https://www.clan-cic.org/) delivered a communications and training programme that engaged over 4000 people and increased the level of biological recording significantly.
R4C’s evaluation showed that people really value the opportunity to learn about how to identify different groups and then use this knowledge to enhance wildlife conservation through submitting records. Many of those involved also report personal benefits that range from job opportunities to enhanced well-being. The Hidden Herefordshire project has potentially provided a model to enhance biological recording in other locations.
FSC Biolinks Project Evaluation
In 2022 R4C undertook a strategic evaluation of the FSC BioLinks project, an exciting citizen science project focusing on the addressing the gaps in our knowledge about invertebrate distribution through a lack of biological recorders with the necessary identification skills. Through a mixture of online and face-to- face learning events the project was able to engage with over 18,000 people who in turn submitted 38,000 new invertebrate records.
Our strategic evaluation assessed the validity of the project Theory of Change, looking at what elements of the project had delivered the biggest impact for biological recording and the new citizen scientists. We then considered the implications of these results on the wider biological recording sector and made recommendations for the way the BioLinks approach could be applied to different taxonomic groups. The evaluation report can be found at
https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/applied-ecology-resources/search/?ca=field-studies-council
