Version: 0.0.2 | Published: 20 Jul 2022 | Updated: 1002 days ago
Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) Biodiversity Survey
Dataset
Documentation
Associated Media:
Description:
Since 2007, OPAL's citizen scientists have collectively built a wealth of environmental data. To ensure that this rich source of information may continue to be used by researchers and the wider public, spreadsheets containing data for OPAL's core UK-wide surveys can be downloaded using the links on this page.
Hedges are a familiar feature in both urban and rural environments across the UK but they are often under-appreciated in terms of the benefits they provide. They are an important habitat for wildlife and can act as corridors through the wider landscape, they help to prevent soil erosion, and they regulate water supply and provide protection from flooding. Despite their high ecological value the overall abundance of hedges across the UK has decreased over the last 70 years. Most research focuses on rural hedges, with comparatively little known about hedges in urban areas, or how hedges from these two environments compare. In 2010, OPAL launched the Biodiversity Survey to help address this knowledge gap and to educate the public on the importance of hedge habitat for wildlife.
The survey was undertaken through four activities:
Describing the hedge’s features and components (e.g. location, hedge structure, shape, length, etc.)
Estimating the abundance of food sources present in the hedge (i.e. the types of trees and the berries, nuts and flowers they produce
Recording the invertebrates found in the hedge
Noting any evidence of animals living in the hedge
Is Part Of:
NOT APPLICABLE
Coverage
Spatial
Geographical Levels:
- country
- county
Temporal
Start Date:
01 January 2007
End Date:
31 December 2019
Frequency:
STATIC
Provenance
Source:
Survey
Purpose:
Study
Access and Governance
Access
Access Rights:
Jurisdiction:
- England and Wales
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
Data Controller:
Imperial College London
Format and Standards
Languages:
ENGLISH
Origin
Name:
Data Catalogue