TVERC is looking for keen field surveyors

Are you a nature enthusiast? Do you have experience in species identification and wildlife surveys? Would you like the opportunity to visit protected sites, contribute to TVERC’s records, and play a role in the success of the Berkshire Local Wildlife Sites Project? You may be able to help us with survey work! 

Caitlin Coombs works at the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre as Berkshire Biodiversity Officer. She works with local volunteers to survey local wildlife sites. analyses and presents data for project work and developslinks with the local groups and recorders.

About the role

Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) are looking for enthusiastic volunteer naturalists with good identification skills and an ability to work alone in the field to help out with additional species surveys on a range of Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) across the county of Berkshire in 2021. The LWS’s cover a range of habitat types including woodland, wetland, heathland, bog and grassland, and have the potential to support a variety of rare species. 

The findings of these surveys will feed into the Berkshire Local Wildlife Sites Project and inform decisions on how to develop and manage land sustainably and where to direct wildlife conservation work.

The LWS project aims to assess sites against the selection criteria every 10 years. In order to do this TVERC has the resources to carry out a habitat survey; however, many sites may be eligible to meet the LWS criteria based on their value for rare species and/or important species assemblages.

At present, TVERC staff do not have the capacity to conduct the additional surveys required for a comprehensive assessment against all the criteria. Volunteer recorders and recording groups/schemes are vital to helping us collect the additional records required to assess sites.

You will have the opportunity to visit notable sites which may not be accessible to the general public, gain experience of recording and enhance your field skills and contribute to a valuable resource for conservation!

The volunteer will ideally:

• Be experienced in species identification, possibly with expert knowledge in specific taxonomic groups or species
• Good map reading skills
• An ability to work alone in the field
• An ability to travel independently to remote sites
• An enthusiasm for wildlife and nature conservation

Please note: Surveys and procedures are constantly being reviewed and will be undertaken in line with the UK government’s and CIEEMs latest advice on Covid-19. 

You will need to register with TVERC as a volunteer and agree to follow our H&S and lone working guidelines. Travel expenses will be reimbursed (up to £20/day). 

About TVERC

Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) collects, analyses and shares geodiversity and biodiversity information in Berkshire and Oxfordshire to help people make sound decisions about how to develop and manage land sustainably and where to direct wildlife conservation work. 

TVERC provides information to local authorities, parish councils, local people, conservation bodies, land-owners, agencies, students and commercial organisations such as ecological consultants and utilities companies via data searches, data licensing and data exchanges. About two-thirds of the data held by TVERC is provided by amateurs and volunteers.

We use our website, newsletters, reports, events and social media to encourage people to learn about wildlife so they can submit records. We also use these as communication tools in telling partners and potential clients about our data holdings and services.

Visit www.tverc.org for more information about what we do.

To register your interest

Please email Caitlin Coombs ([email protected]), TVERC Biodiversity Officer, and we can discuss which sites you may be interested in and make further arrangements.