Category
Wildlife monitoring schemes
Capabilities
PBMS receives bird carcasses from members of the public and eggs from licenced egg collectors. Carcasses and eggs from across the UK are analysed for chemical and heavy metal pollutants: Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs); Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs); Lead (Pb); Mercury (Hg); Other toxic and essential metals. Preserved samples of predatory bird tissue are also kept in the Predatory Bird Tissue Bank (see sub-category 4 below).
Lifecycle
PBMS has been running since the 1960s: generating annual data on a range of contaminants and necropsy observations, and facilitating retrospective studies utilising the archive generated by PBMS.
Uniqueness
UKBMS is the longest running scheme of its kind in the UK, if not the world. No other pollution monitoring scheme measures as broad a range of contaminants or as many species as the PBMS.
Partners
PBMS is part of the Wildlife Disease & Contaminant Monitoring Scheme (WILDCOMS. This network enhances interaction between all the major vertebrate disease and contaminant monitoring programmes in the UK, thereby providing an integrated and comprehensive overview of disease and contaminant risks to UK wildlife. PBMS also works with other monitoring schemes across Europe through the EURAPMON network to enhance the ability of monitoring schemes from across Europe to exchange knowledge, data and best practice.
Access
PBMS outputs and data are available from
https://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/
Use of the necropsy data and samples is by collaborative agreement
Location
PBMS is based at UKCEH Lancaster and operates across the UK.
Funding sources
PBMS is funded by: NERC National Capability LTSS UK-SCaPE programme; Natural England; The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use.
Users
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PBMS users include: Defra (“Health of the Environment” status reports); government regulators of chemical use; chemical manufacturers; environmental researchers.
Last updated
28 April 2022 13:28
