Volunteer-based botanical monitoring has been a mainstay of British and Irish botany for decades, but only recently has a recording scheme for plant communities been established. Dr Pescott outlines the history of this new National Plant Monitoring Scheme, with a particular focus on the challenges and rewards that have been associated with establishing this novel approach in the UK.
Dr Pescott has worked at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology for the past 6 years. His main interests cover the uses of botanical records data for inference concerning environmental change, bryophytes, and non-native plants. He is also an active botanical field recorder in his free time.
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