{"access":"Data products produced by BRC are made available via UKCEH's Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC).  Raw data are supplied regularly to the National Biodiversity Network Atlas, and onwards to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.","capabilities":"Building on centuries of UK wildlife observations, BRC was established in 1964 to coordinate and support wildlife recording across the UK.  It now provides leadership, liaison, coordination, expert support and underlying infrastructure - working with 85 National Recording Schemes, Societies and the public - to identify species and to collect, manage, analyse, interpret and publish the UK's wildlife data and records.  Outputs include publicly available data, atlases and information on species distribution for a wide range of UK terrestrial and freshwater taxonomic groups covering plants, animals and fungi.  BRC provides a world-leading capability in the management and use of volunteer-based wildlife recording.  Independent estimates from JNCC calculate provide a collective value of a £20 million per annum in UK volunteers’ time for biodiversity surveillance.","description":"The purpose of the Biological Records Centre (BRC) is to provide national leadership and coordination for collecting wildlife species records across the UK.  Wildlife and biodiversity surveillance is largely carried out by public volunteers, often through specialist interest groups and national recording schemes, and is supplemented by professional surveys to fill gaps.  Biodiversity sustains healthy ecosystems and the natural resources and services (collectively 'natural capital') that are essential for human life, health and wellbeing.  Wildlife records are used extensively by environmental researchers, environmental policy-makers, land managers and conservation organisations: to understand drivers of change and to manage the UK's natural capital for social, economic and environmental benefit.","fundingSources":"The core function of BRC is supported and part-funded by JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Government's advisor on nature) including liaison with the recording community.  Specific information products are supported by Defra and devolved government agencies through open competitive funding processes (e.g. biodiversity Indicators).  Research using wildlife records is mainly supported by UKRI-NERC through research project grants.","id":"01fe4086-0a66-470a-9eeb-b371b2a352d2","infrastructureCategory":{"value":"wildlifeSchemes","description":"Wildlife monitoring schemes","infrastructureClass":"Environmental observatories","uri":"http://vocabs.ceh.ac.uk/ri/wildlifeSchemes"},"infrastructureChallenge":[{"value":"Sustainable ecosystems: biodiversity net gain"}],"infrastructureScale":"UK","lifecycle":"BRC was established in 1964 and the earliest data comes from the 15th Century.  BRC provides a continuous and innovating service to support the collection and accessibility of biological records.  Online tools such as iRecord and other associated mobile apps are now widely used to record growing volumes of wildlife data.","locationText":"BRC is based at UKCEH Wallingford and operates across the UK.","metadataDate":"2025-04-09T09:24:27","onlineResources":[{"url":"https://www.brc.ac.uk/","name":"Biological Records Centre website","function":"website","type":"OTHER"},{"url":"https://eidc.ceh.ac.uk/images/browsegraphics/brc.png","name":"BRC logo","function":"image","type":"OTHER"}],"owners":[{"displayName":"David Roy","organisationName":"UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology","organisationIdentifier":"https://ror.org/00pggkr55","role":"owner","address":{"city":"Wallingford"},"fullName":"David Roy"}],"resourceIdentifiers":[{"code":"https://catalogue-staging.ceh.ac.uk/id/019d175a-6061-4cd6-bd0c-7f76b4816d2f"},{"code":"https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/01fe4086-0a66-470a-9eeb-b371b2a352d2"}],"scienceArea":"Biodiversity","title":"Biological Records Centre (BRC) - collecting UK wildlife records","type":"infrastructureRecord","uniqueness":"BRC is the only UK-wide records centre for comprehensive wildlife recording.  BRC uniquely provides: (1) long-term partnership, coordination and support with almost 100 National Recording Schemes and Societies (e.g. organisations focused on a species group such as butterflies, bryophytes, spiders etc); and (2) innovative technical infrastructure (e.g. Indicia) for supporting citizen science, alongside specialised systems for capturing, reviewing and sharing biodiversity data (e.g. iRecord and associated mobile applications).","uri":"https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/01fe4086-0a66-470a-9eeb-b371b2a352d2","users":["BRC delivers annual biodiversity indicators for Defra/JNCC.  Wildlife records are used by researchers (eg to investigate impacts of environmental and climate change, pollution, and non-native species), environmental policy-makers (governments and their agencies), land managers, conservation organisations and the public."]}