Welcome to the summer round-up from the GiGLer newsletter, where we look back at the events, projects, and stories that have shaped the first half of the year.
As we continue to battle one heatwave after another, the articles produced by the GiGL team and members of our incredible network remind us why we do what we do. From engaging people with nature and collaborating on projects at both local and national levels, to gathering vital evidence about wildlife, our collective work helps to protect and enhance London’s valuable green and blue spaces, and biodiversity. These places are more important than ever, providing shade, opportunities for rest, and countless other benefits as we adapt to increasingly warm summers in the city.
In this edition, you’ll find highlights from our latest species records, updates on what the GiGL team has been working on, a recap of recent newsletter features, and a look ahead to what’s coming up later this year.
Six-Month Recording Round-up
A huge thank you to everyone who has submitted species records over the past six months – especially to the stag beetle spotters amongst you who were lucky enough to come across one of these bumbling beetles. Thanks to your observations, we’ve already received more than 1,100 stag beetle records this summer alone via the Staggering Gains webform! These records, together with our partners at London Wildlife Trust, help us build a better picture of how this iconic species is faring across London.
Here are some of our favourite stag beetle photos, followed by highlights from our one-off recording form, where anyone can record any species. Keep your sightings coming! You can submit your records via our one-off recording webform, iRecord, or by spreadsheet.
GiGL News
The first half of 2026 has been full of exciting developments across GiGL, and we’re pleased to share just a few highlights.
In May, we held our annual London Day of Nature, bringing together organisations and communities to celebrate and champion London’s wildlife while showcasing the importance of high-quality environmental evidence and data sharing. We received fantastic feedback from attendees, reinforcing the value of the event in fostering collaboration, encouraging communication, and inspiring new ideas and partnerships. You can read more about the day in our newsletter highlights below.
A project that had been on our wish list for some time also got the go-ahead. We’ve added a new resource to our website in the form of the London Ecology Unit Handbooks. Produced for many London Borough’s between the late 1980s and early 2000s, these handbooks explore each borough’s wildlife, conservation and natural history. Originally intended to guide planners and land managers in supporting nature conservation, they now provide fascinating insights into the history of London’s landscapes, highlighting the wildlife, habitats, and sites that shaped conservation decisions 20–40 years ago – many of which remain important today. They were an important resource for our ancient woodland inventory update, and we’ve enjoyed reading through them and discovering the fascinating stories they contain.
We’ve also been involved in the Big City Bug Hunt, which continues to encourage Londoners of all ages to discover and record the incredible invertebrate life found across the capital, particularly in food-growing spaces. Our collaboration with Capital Growth meant that bug discoveries could be easily logged through iNaturalist, ensuring these valuable records contribute to our understanding of London’s biodiversity. Find out more and register your community garden here.
Newsletter Highlights
Over the past six months we’ve covered a wide range of topics, from mapping London’s wildlife and supporting species recording to celebrating GiGL’s history and exploring nature recovery projects. Visit the links throughout this issue to catch up on any articles you may have missed.
GiGL Goings-on
We’ve been celebrating an important anniversary, as May marked three decades since the Biological Recording Project (BRP). Initially a London Wildlife Trust project that evolved into GiGL, which launched as a hosted Local Environmental Records Centre (LERC) in 2006, before becoming an independent social enterprise and Community Interest Company (CIC) in 2013.
We’ve come a long way since 1996, but none of this would have been possible without the project and the people who got it all started. Hear from our CEO, Mandy, as she reflects on how it all persisted…
Read here – Still GiGLing: 30 Years of Nature Data, People and Persistence
Our London Day of Nature event also aligned perfectly with our anniversary, thanks to its new (and luckily sunny) spring date. As is tradition, we’ve put together a full written and photographic recap of the day for anyone who wants to relive the event or experience it for the first time if they couldn’t attend…
Read here – London Day of Nature 2026
Earlier this year, we also gave our readers a glimpse of the bigger picture by exploring why national engagement matters. Our collaborations with our accreditors at ALERC, together with our partnership with the National Biodiversity Network (NBN), help ensure that environmental data remains influential and widely used. In a data landscape that is continually evolving, ongoing support from our peers and partners are vital. Find out how we do it…
Read here – How GiGL Stays Relevant by Engaging with National Bodies
Species Insights
We took time to look back at an important botanical resource and its relevance to this day. Rodney Burton’s Flora of the London Area was published 43 years ago, and in celebration of his meticulously compiled atlas and in tribute to his life, we explored how both the book and the survey continue to reveal insights into London’s flora and the power of large-scale citizen science…
Read here – Revisiting Rodney Burton’s Flora of the London Area (1983)
Staying with the book theme, Leslie Williams of the London Natural History Society explored what London’s butterflies tell us about changing habitats and climate through the recently published The Butterflies of London. The book explores how butterflies can be monitored, conserved and encouraged in the capital, featuring beautiful photography alongside maps and graphs that GiGL helped produce.
Read here – The Butterflies of London
Wildlife Recording
There can’t be a GiGLer without wildlife recording! This theme began by demystifying iNaturalist, sharing top tips to help readers make the most of the app. Alongside the City Nature Challenge, avid iNaturalist user Joss explained how simple steps – such as choosing the right licensing settings – can help ensure records can be useful for conservation…
Read here – iNaturalist & City Nature Challenge 2026 – Making Your Observations Count
Next, Joanna from WildChiswick shared how recording is helping connect people with the wildlife on their doorstep. Since forming in 2021, the group has used species recording to engage residents while protecting and enhancing local habitats…
Read here – Recording Chiswick’s Wildlife – Why Urban Species Surveys Matter
Photography was another theme, as insect surveyor, graphic designer and photographer Penny Metal showed how images can educate, inspire and improve recording. From weevils and wasps to hairy-footed flower bees, her work encourages people to notice and appreciate the smaller species around them…
Read here – Seeing Small: Bugs, Data, and Making It All Make Sense
Project highlights
Helping improve knowledge and protection of London’s ancient woodlands was the focus of our Ancient Woodland Inventory project, which ran from 2021 to 2024. Our latest article revisits the project’s key achievements, including a 78% increase in recognised ancient woodland across London, highlights from case study sites, and thanks to everyone involved…
Read here – The Ancient Woodland Inventory Update Project
We also explored how GiGL data is helping shape nature recovery across the capital. Working alongside the Greater London Authority (GLA), we played a central role in developing London’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), creating the tools and resources needed to collect, validate and map the evidence that underpins the strategy…
Read here – GiGL’s Role in Developing London’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Upcoming
The months ahead will see us progressing two exciting projects. The first sees us working with the GLA on the Access to Greenspace project, strengthening London’s open space evidence base. The project will explore how authorities assess and designate local green spaces, helping to create a more consistent evidence base for planners and decision-makers across London.
Our second project is to refresh the GiGL website. We’ll be streamlining our content, expanding our resources into a library, and making it clearer how we support our users and make an impact. We’re very excited to show our audience the end project in early 2027.
We’ll also be sharing articles on the work of several recently completed projects, and how others can benefit from similar support. When the GLA’s Clean & Healthy Waterways Action Plan is published soon, we’ll explain our involvement with the working group and how we contributed baseline data to shape measurable goals.
We’ll also celebrate the conclusion of our year-long partnership with South Ken ZEN+, where we audited, mapped and compiled biodiversity data to establish a baseline and create accessible maps for engagement and decision-making.
Finally, we’ll hear from species experts about why London is so important for their work and, alongside the release of the LEU handbooks, explore the legacy of the London Ecology Unit.
Stay tuned!