Species Audit

An audit was originally started in 1995, species being chosen with the help of county specialists. These species were listed from the criteria shown below:

Listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan Species of Conservation Concern in the UK Steering Group Report
Nationally Notable or Scarce
Locally Notable
A significant population is within the county

The present Audit has progressed a further stage with some groups by listing all known species within the county. To do this, additional data was needed for the Audit especially the more common species that can often be overlooked. This task requires a great deal of individual knowledge, and without the help of specialists within their field the Audit would never have reached its present stage.

There are, however, several shortcomings within the data and many of the lists are not complete. Certain groups notable for this are Lichens, Fungi and Invertebrates. A complete Fungi list is currently being prepared and should appear in an amended version of the Audit at a later date.

It is hoped that on the publication of the Audit people will fill in the void in these fields and bring about a new wave of information.

The Species Audit is not considered to be a rigid guideline for all species within the county more an evaluation and reference tool that will provide baseline data for interested bodies.

The layout of the species is the same throughout. This is to reduce confusion for the general reader. The species are listed in taxonomic, group order as shown in the contents at the start of the audit. Each group is then listed by its Latin name in alphabetical order. It is noted that many specialists have a separate methodology for listing their species but these methods were standardised in order to make the Audit accessible to all.