Records of wildlife species and where they have been seen are important, particularly in places where they feed, roost, nest or are found because of the nature of the site. They help identify the places and wildlife species that need conservation and protection.

Information on biological records and Barnsley Biological Records Centre. It includes links on how to send in records and how to ask for records from BBRC.

Records of wildlife sightings and places with notable habitats are used by a wide range of people, including naturalists, students, schools, conservation bodies, land owners, developers and ecology consultants.

As well as being of general interest, these biological records are used for finding out how widespread different species are and whether they are increasing or decreasing in numbers.

Records help identify the need for conservation and appropriate land management and are referred to when planning authorities are considering planning applications and changes of use of sites.

How to:

Barnsley Biological Record Centre (BBRC) holds local records of wildlife species, habitats and sites for the Barnsley area, collected by naturalists and surveys.

Over 390,000 records have been collected since BBRC was set up by Barnsley council in 2011.

Records are always welcome - why not contribute?

A biological record comes from an observation by someone of a particular species at a specific place on a given date.

Species are usually recorded by sight; however records can also be obtained by noting birds calls, counting nests of harvest mice, using nets and other surveying methods and even reporting road-kill.

Information about sensitive species such as badgers, rare nesting birds, and rare plants, is carefully controlled.

Records