| RECORDING PRIORITIES |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| While it must be
emphasied that ALL
moth records are welcome it is helpful to set out some priorities to
avoid duplication of effort and to ensure that there is as great
a coverage as possible. Only this way will we get a true
understanding of the status of all moth species occurring in the County. MONITORING CHANGE Most regular recorders will have favourite or dedicated sites at which they regularly record or trap moths. It is important that activity at these sites is continued and that numbers of all moths, even the commonest, are noted to enable trends and changes to be monitored. Data from a single site over a number of years can be an important tool in detecting change that would otherwise go unnoticed. HABITAT PRIORITIES The map showing the the distribution of records on the Species Diversity page reflects the correlation between the number of records and the places where regular and long term observers live or have lived and where Rothamsted traps were operated. Because of this there is a bias towards urban or semi-urban areas and the agricultural belt of Caithness. High priorities are moorland (particularly the more undisturbed and remoter areas) and coastal locations. GEOGRAPHIC PRIORITIES The table below shows the distribution of records per 10km square of the National Grid as at the 31st December 2013. Although good progress as been made in recent years much remains to be done to achieve a more even coverage of records and species. Of the 29 squares covered, at least in part, by the County, 7 (24%) have less than 50 species recorded from them, of which 3 have no records. Only 6 (20%) have 200 or more species recorded of which only one has recorded more than half of the species recorded in the County. Squares with less than 100 macro species recorded carry the highest geographic priority.
|