LNHS remit is the study and recording of natural history, archaeology and other kindred subjects especially within twenty miles of St Paul’s Cathedral. Things have moved on since John Swindell’s article in the July 2006 issue. The LNHS and GiGL exchange biological records on a regular basis and GiGL has frequently been able to assist LNHS in …
GiGL, our partnership and our databases, would be nothing without the contribution of London’s recording community. Every additional record has the potential to positively impact conservation efforts in our city. Supporting London’s recorders is key to our status as a Community Interest Company (CIC).
GiGL’s Board of Directors are central to our work and our success. Their commitment and expertise helps guide GiGL and keeps us moving forward and developing. Directors are on the front line of biodiversity and open space work in the capital. They are GiGL service users and contribute to our data banks, as well as serving as ambassadors for GiGL.
Records centres like GiGL can do more with biological records than you may imagine. Collation and provision of data and data products is, of course, very important. However, analysis of existing records can also inform future recording efforts.
The nocturnal habits of bats make them intrinsically difficult for human observers to study. In Greater London, those interested in discovering more on the ecology and conservation status of bats face additional obstacles. Firstly, there is a lot of inaccessible, privately owned land. Secondly, Greater London is a huge area to cover.
In January 2015, after a decade at GiGL, I resigned my position as Operations Manager to take a much needed sabbatical with my young family. We headed to Mauritius, where I branded beaches with ‘GiGL Rocks!’ footprints using the custom flip-flops given to me as a leaving present.
Froglife is a UK wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles. Their ‘Dragon Finder’ app was developed and launched as part of the London Dragon Finder project, an ambitious city wide amphibian and reptile conservation project that included practical habitat restoration work, and educational outreach activities.
What’s happening in your neighbourhood? How do you engage with nature and open spaces? Perhaps there is a planning application on your street that you are concerned about. In all these cases, GiGL data services and the GiGL datasets can support an evidence base for local decision-makers and residents.
Recently, GiGL and LISI produced a range of predictive risk model layers for London for various invasive non-native species. Risk modelling is only as good as the data behind it, which is what made this project so innovative. We were able to use local data to create the model on a local scale, down to 100m² …