Issue 1

Not just the birds and the bees

GiGL has been working with the GLA since long before either organisation existed. John Archer, Principal Policy Officer at the GLA and GiGL's steering group chair explains. The London Ecology Unit, which was later absorbed into the GLA, was one of the key partners in...

Editorial – Issue 1

‘But there isn’t any wildlife in London.’ I heard that all too familiar phrase again on Saturday – this time from the partner of a friend. ‘Yes there is’ – I launch into my usual explanation – UK hotspots, protected species, London’s wild open spaces – but he isn’t...

From Darwin to Deptford

Matt Davies and Lauren Alexander, GiGL’s data team, give an overview of GiGL’s data holdings and the process of inputting and extracting information from the database. GiGL may be ten years old, but the records that GiGL holds cover a much broader time span, dating...

Ten years and counting

Mandy Rudd, GiGL Manager It’s been an eventful journey. Ten years ago, in May 1996, with funding from the Bridge House Trust, London Wildlife Trust launched its Biological Recording Project – the first step towards a biodiversity records centre for London. Alistair...

The view from here – The London Natural History Society

John Swindells, LNHS. The London Natural History Society has been collecting natural history records since its early days in the mid nineteenth century. Currently, its 22 recorders cover most groups of plants and animals. The Society’s recording effort has resulted in...

The view from here – Ecology Consultancy Ltd

Jon Riley, ECL. When developers are looking at a development site, they do not always see the wildlife value of that site.This is where consultancies such as Ecology Consultancy Ltd come in. A data search, or ‘desk-top study’, is carried in the early stages of an...

The view from here – Furesfen Ecological Consultancy

Alison Fure, Furesfen Ecological Consultancy. Not many consultants pass records on to biodiversity records centres, although it is in the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management’s code of conduct to do so. I always ask and some clients are pleased to allow...

Nature’s Treasure House

For many people, the Natural History Museum is a wonderful visitor attraction – an iconic building in central London.To some it means only one thing – dinosaurs! The Museum is much more than this. It is primarily a research institution – an international leader in the...

Data matters

Nick White, London Biodiversity Partnership. The current rate of species extinction worldwide is estimated at between 1,000 and 10,000 times what would occur without human influence. In 1992, the UK along with 150 other signatories at the Rio de Janeiro ‘Earth...

Wildlife Online

In this first issue of The GIGLer, we’ve followed GiGL from humble roots to its current position – the recognised one-stop-shop for greenspace information in London. So what does the future hold for GiGL? Trevor James, NBN Development Officer gives us a glimpse of...