TVERC services to our local authority partners are a central component of our work programme. There are no organisations which could provide wildlife information services as cost effectively and efficiently as TVERC. So, we are the obvious port of call when wildlife-related performance indicators need to be reported on by Berkshire and Oxfordshire local authorities.
Two main performance indicators require wildlife information to be generated. The first of these is the Single Data List 160, a dull title for an important assessment of those local sites – both local wildlife sites and local geological sites – where positive conservation management has taken place in the last five years. Our Berkshire local authority partners have received the information to report on this indicator from us for several years. The reports for each unitary authority reflect the numbers of sites in environmental stewardship and woodland grant schemes, sites where active management is being implemented (for example, on sites managed by the local authorities or BBOWT) or sites where management plans have been devised.
The second major key performance indicator requirement for local authorities is their Annual Monitoring Reports of local strategic plans. Each year, all of the Oxfordshire local authorities and most of the Berkshire unitaries ask us to provide information on a suite of wildlife-related features. These reports include detailed analyses of biodiversity trends, from changes in designated Local Wildlife Sites to long-term shifts in farmland bird populations. The production of the reports requires the analyses of various county-wide and district or unitary component biodiversity features. Whilst most of these can be undertaken using our site, habitat and species digital information, we still call on the expert knowledge of recorders and local groups to help us round off the production of these reports
As councils face increasing pressure to demonstrate environmental accountability, TVERC’s role in delivering trusted, actionable biodiversity data has never been more vital.
If you'd like to learn more or discuss how TVERC can support your work, please email us at tverc@oxfordshire.gov.uk.