BTO Cymru launch at the Royal Welsh
Post categories: Royal Welsh Show
| 11:44 UK time, Wednesday, 20 July 2011
If you get a chance, try and visit some of the conservation tents on site here at the show. All the big players are here including the, , , and more - all of which are being manned by helpful and willing staff, keen to enlighten you on the state of nature and the environment in Wales.
Some have even recognised me, 'mid sales patter', from the small thumbnail photo of me in the blog so it's nice to know that our blogs are being read by the people that matter.
I just had a good chat with Daniel Jenkins-Jones from RSPB Cymru who invited me over to the CCW stand where the were just announcing their new official presence in Wales.
I say new (the BTO have been active in Wales for some time), but two full time staff have now been appointed, Rachel Taylor and Kelvin Jones, who will be based in new offices in Bangor.
The BTO are actively involved in pushing 'citizen science' - mobilising ordinary citizens like you and me to get involved in the collecting of important, accurate scientific data which, once collated, can help influence key decision making such as the Severn Barrage Tidal Project at Welsh Government level.
Members of the BTO at today's Wales launch.
There are currently 40,000 BTO volunteers in the UK and 3,000 in Wales, who play a significant role in keeping tabs on the local environment, wildlife and ecosystems.
Who would have thought that the role of peat and upland habitats would have become so important particularly with water filtration and lowland flooding, which we've seen in recent times?
BTO data has helped recognise that green woodpeckers, for instance, are on the increase in west Wales whereas crows and wheatears are in decline. House sparrows in Wales are also bucking the national trend and actually doing well in Wales.
The BTO prides itself on evidence-based scientific and impartial findings and it is these volunteers who help provide the vital information that the politicians so deperately need.
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