National Biodiversity Network

18/08/2026

🌿 Bookings for the NBN Conference 2026 are now open!

Will you be joining us on Thursday 19 November at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds?

This year's theme is: Nature as National Resilience: turning biodiversity data into action for people, place and a changing climate

The annual NBN Conference brings together around 200 people and organisations from across wildlife recording, nature recovery, research, policy and responsible business. It's a fantastic opportunity to hear how biodiversity data is helping to inform decisions and deliver better outcomes for nature.

Delegates can look forward to:
🌱 Inspiring keynote talks
🌱 Practical case studies
🌱 Policy insights
🌱 Data and digital innovation
🌱 The NBN Awards announcements
🌱 Exhibitions and posters
🌱 Networking opportunities

We're pleased to confirm speakers from Buglife, the Marine Biological Association, UKCEH, the Biological Recording Company, Natcap Research, and the NBN Trust team, with more to be announced soon.

More information and the full programme will be available in the coming weeks.

📅 Thursday 19 November 2026
📍 Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds

👉 Find out more and book your place:
https://bit.ly/4g5EIOX

With thanks to our Conference Partners, FuturesWild and Habitat Aid , for their support.

12/08/2026

🌍 Want to help shape the UK's climate and nature policies on International Youth Day?

The UK Government is creating a new Youth Climate and Nature Panel to ensure young people's voices are at the heart of decisions on climate change and nature recovery.

It's looking for 15 passionate young people aged 16-25 from across the UK, representing a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, to share their views, influence policy and inspire action.

The first stage is a call to 16-18 year olds to apply for this exciting opportunity.

📅 Application deadline: Friday 11 September 2026

Find out more and how to apply - https://nbn.org.uk/news/youth-climate-and-nature-panel/

05/08/2026

📢 We're Hiring: Head of Finance & Operations

Are you an experienced finance leader looking for a role where you can make a real difference for nature? 🌿

The NBN Trust: National Biodiversity Network Trust is seeking a Head of Finance & Operations who will be the key strategic and operational partner to our CEO.

We are the UK charity dedicated to making biodiversity data accessible and useful. We coordinate the National Biodiversity Network, develop the NBN Atlas, support iNaturalistUK, and are developing the NBN Record Manager. Our work connects biological recording, digital infrastructure, and better decisions for nature across the UK.

Key Role Details
💷 Salary: £50,000
🏠 Location: Home-based, anywhere in the UK
📅 Application deadline: 19 August 2026

About the Role
This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for:

✅ Strategic leadership and partnership with the CEO
✅ Finance and financial sustainability
✅ Governance, risk and compliance
✅ Operations, systems and organisational resilience
✅ Team and organisational leadership

Strong charity finance leadership is at the heart of this role. You'll help safeguard the Trust's financial resilience while ensuring our people, systems and processes support the delivery of our mission: Making data work for nature.

Interview Dates
📅 First-round interviews: 2 & 3 September 2026
📅 Second-round interviews (if required): 9 September 2026

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and a covering letter addressing the criteria outlined in the application details.

🔗 Find out more and apply:
https://bit.ly/3RM0iyA

Please help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity with your networks. 💚

03/08/2026

🌊Have you spotted these striking blue sea creatures along the coast?

As reported over the weekend, hundreds of Velella velella (also known as by-the-wind sailors) have recently washed up on beaches in Cumbria.

Although they look like tiny jellyfish, they're actually colonies of small predatory animals known as hydrozoans. Their distinctive blue colour and upright "sail" allow them to drift across the ocean surface with the wind, while short stinging tentacles beneath help them catch tiny prey.

These fascinating creatures are not new to UK shores. There are more than 1,000 records on the NBN Atlas from around the UK coastline, with records dating back to 1925 and as recently as last year.

📍 You can explore these records on the NBN Atlas: https://bit.ly/NBNAtlasVelellavelella

📸 If you spot any Velella velella, please help contribute to our understanding of their distribution by recording your sighting on iNaturalistUK or iRecord.

With thanks to all our contributing NBN Atlas data partners https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000178601 -partners
including Marine Biological Association Marine Conservation Society South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall & Isles of Scilly, Outer Hebrides Biological Recording, Highland Biological Recording Group and many others.

Map credit to NBN Trust (2026). The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas. [https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000178601]

30/07/2026

🌿 The NBN Trust's Annual Impact Report is now available

This year’s report reflects not only on the achievements of the last financial year, but also celebrates 25 years of making data work for nature.

Over the past year, we've continued to:
✅ Transform our data infrastructure, making biodiversity data more accessible and interoperable than ever before
✅ Strengthen the quality, visibility and usability of biodiversity data through the NBN Atlas
✅ Encourage and celebrate wildlife recording through initiatives such as iNaturalistUK and the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording
✅ Support our community by showcasing the work of our members and data partners and strengthening the Network

Looking ahead, our Chairperson, Pete Tomlin, said:
"The Board's focus is on supporting the Trust to stay trusted, relevant and resilient. The next phase will require careful choices, strong partnerships and a sustainable operating model, but the need for the Trust's work has never been clearer."

There is so much to celebrate, and none of it would be possible without the support of our members, partners, funders, data providers, recorders, verifiers and wider community.

Thank you for being part of our story and helping us ensure biodiversity data can inform better decisions for nature, now and in the future.

📖 Read the report: https://nbn.org.uk/tools-and-resources/publications/reports/

25/07/2026

🐋🐬 Watch for Whales and Dolphins Across the UK!

From 25 July – 2 August 2026, Sea Watch Foundation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of National Whale and Dolphin Watch – a nine-day citizen science event dedicated to studying the marine mammals found around our coasts.

The UK is home to 31 species of cetaceans, including harbour porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins and minke whales. Last year alone, volunteers recorded more than 1,600 sightings, almost 13,000 individual animals, and 15 different species including seals, basking sharks, tuna and sunfish.

Whether you're a wildlife enthusiast, family looking for a fun day out, or simply curious about marine life, there are plenty of ways to get involved:
✅ Join a public survey
✅ Attend local events and activities
✅ Take part in online talks with marine experts
✅ Report your own sightings via the free Sea Watcher app

Every sighting helps conservationists better understand and protect these incredible animals and the marine environments they depend on.
Find out more and get involved: 👉 https://nbn.org.uk/news/watch-for-whales-and-dolphins-across-the-uk/

🐋💙

23/07/2026

📢 NBN Atlas Data Updates – July 2026

We're delighted to share the latest updates from the NBN Atlas! Thanks to the incredible contributions of our data partners, the Atlas now holds 385,417,980 occurrence records covering 51,438 species across the UK. 🌿

A huge thank you to five Local Environmental Records Centres that have recently shared significant datasets:
✅ Argyll Biological Records Centre - 308,426 records
✅ Biodiversity Information Service for Powys & BBNP – 758,674 records
✅ Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall & Isles of Scilly – 338,335 records
✅ Lancashire Environment Record Network – 2,978,221 records
✅ Leicestershire & Rutland Environmental Records Centre – 515,913 records

🔄 New and updated data resources
🦇 Bat Conservation Trust – 222,620 survey records
🔬 Leeds Museums & Galleries – a new 29-record dataset documenting fossil plant and fungal remains from the Pennine Lower Coal Measures
📸 Mammal Web – 284,959 records
🏛️ Natural History Museum, London – 1,265,019 records from its collection specimens
🌊 Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales – 910,699 records added from marine and freshwater ecology datasets
🐦 RSPB – 89,131 records, including a new resource from the 2025 Saving Slavonian Grebes Project Monitoring
🌳 The Woodland Trust - 102,436 records
💧 Water Management Consortium – 13,144 water vole records spanning 1999–2025

🔗 Read the full update and access the datasets:
https://nbn.org.uk/news/nbn-atlas-data-updates-july-2026/

🙏 A huge thank you to all our data partners and volunteer verifiers. Every dataset shared helps strengthen biodiversity knowledge and supports better decisions for nature conservation across the UK.

Interested in sharing your data with the NBN Atlas? We'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

17/07/2026

🦋 Another survey to help nature - take part in the Big Butterfly Count 2026!

The Big Butterfly Count is the world's largest butterfly survey and helps scientists assess the health of our environment. Since its launch in 2010, thousands of people have taken part by recording the butterflies they spot, providing valuable information about the UK's wildlife.

📅 This year's count runs from 17 July to 9 August.

How to take part
✅ Spend 15 minutes counting butterflies and day-flying moths in bright (preferably sunny) weather.
✅ Take part anywhere – in your garden, a local park, school grounds, fields or forests.
✅ Use the identification guide provided online to record the target species and submit your sightings.

🌐 Find out more - https://nbn.org.uk/event/big-butterfly-count-2026/

The survey is run by Butterfly Conservation, a valued data partner and member of the NBN Trust. More than 47 million species occurrence records from Butterfly Conservation are available through the NBN Atlas - thank you Butterfly Conservation and all our data partners!

16/07/2026

🌿 Up to £1 million available for nature recovery projects in Wales

Organisations working with natural heritage in Wales can now apply for grants of £250,000 to £1 million through the Nature Networks Fund to improve wildlife and biodiversity in and around Wales' network of protected sites.

The fund is delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government, in partnership with Natural Resources Wales. It aims to:
✅ Strengthen the resilience of protected land, freshwater and marine sites
✅ Build organisational capacity to accelerate nature recovery
✅ Increase community engagement with nature

Since launching in 2021, the Nature Networks Fund has awarded £54 million to 147 projects across Wales.

The programme supports the Welsh Government's commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework's 30x30 target – protecting and effectively managing 30% of the world's land, freshwater and marine environments by 2030.

Could your organisation benefit?
🔹 Do you work with natural heritage in Wales?
🔹 Do you need funding to plan or deliver a nature-based project?
🔹 Does your project focus on improving wildlife and biodiversity in or around protected sites?
🔹 Are you seeking a grant of between £250,000 and £1 million?

If you answered yes, the Nature Networks Fund could provide the support you need.

📅 Expressions of Interest must be submitted by 12 noon on 5 August 2026.
Find out more and how to apply:

Organisations working with natural heritage in Wales can apply for grants of between £250,000 and £1million to improve wildlife and … Continued

05/07/2026

🌿🐾 Volunteers Needed – Three Ways to Help Nature! 🦇🦔🪲

Looking for a way to make a difference for wildlife? Here are three fantastic citizen science projects you can get involved in this July! 💚

🪲 The Great Stag Hunt
Help researchers track one of Europe’s largest insects, the spectacular stag beetle. Volunteers are needed to record and share sightings, and for the first time you can submit audio and video recordings too! Numbers may be declining, so every record counts. 📅 Survey ends 31 July.

🦇 British Bat Survey
Run by the Bat Conservation Trust, this new national monitoring scheme is looking for volunteers to help survey sites across Britain. The data collected helps build a picture of bat population trends and identifies where conservation action is needed most. 📅 Survey ends 31 July.

🦔 Hedgehog Citizen Science Project
Researchers at the University of Reading are recruiting volunteers across the UK to investigate how urban hedgehogs may be exposed to rodenticides in residential gardens. 📅 Project begins in July.

🌱 Whether you're completely new to wildlife surveying or already active in helping nature, these projects are a great way to contribute valuable information that supports conservation across the UK.

🔗 Find out more about each survey in the news section of the NBN Trust website:
https://nbn.org.uk/news-events-publications/latest-stories-from-our-network/