Contact us

Kevin Walker is Head of Research & Development, with a remit to liaise with external organisations to promote and develop the work of the BSBI. Contact us if you are interested in collaborative research or commissioning reports or information from the BSBI.

Kevin Walker, 97 Dragon Parade, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 5DG.

Email: Kevin Walker

Tel. 01423 790139 ext. 1799 (mon-weds) or 01904 328805 (thu-fri).

Recent papers

Walker, K.J., Dines, T., Hutchinson, N. & Freeman, S. 2010. Designing a new plant surveillance scheme for the UK. JNCC report no. 440. JNCC, Peterborough.

Walker, K.J., Preston, C.D. &    Boon, C.R. 2009. Fifty years of change in an area of intensive agriculture: plant trait responses to habitat modification and conservation, Bedfordshire, England. Biodiversity & Conservation 18, 3597-3613.

Pearman, D.A. & Walker, K.J. 2009. Alien plants in Britain - a real or imagined problem? British Wildlife 21, 22-27.

Jackson, S.F., Walker, K.J. & Gaston, K.J. 2009. Relationship between distributions of threatened plants and protected areas in Britain. Biological Conservation 142, 1515-1522.

Walker, K.J. 2007. The last 35 years: recent changes in the flora of the British Isles. Watsonia 26, 291-302.

Walker, K.J., Preston, C.D. 2006. Ecological predictors of extinction risk in the flora of lowland England. Biodiversity and Conservation 15, 1913-1942.

Smart, S.M., Bunce, R.G.H., Marrs, R., LeDuc, M., Firbank, L.G., Maskell, L.C., Scott, W.A., Thompson, K., Walker, K.J. 2005. Large-scale changes in the abundance of common higher plant species across Britain between 1978, 1990 and 1998 as a consequence of human activity: Tests of hypothesised changes in trait representation. Biological Conservation 124, 355-371.

The Plant Unit

The Plant Unit is the professional arm of the BSBI, with a remit to develop scientific uses of the BSBI’s data and provide services to academia and the conservation sector.

Academic Research: we undertake research and supply data to collaborators in universities. The BSBI holds some of the largest biological recording database in the world, with highly structured data that is invaluable for analyses such as responses to climate change.

Data Supply: we have an annual programme of updating/dataflow to BRC, who provide verification etc. and then that this data eventually goes onto the NBN. Members/VCRs can apply for higher resolution access to this data than the 10km that is available to the public.

Recording Strategy

The BSBI’s recording strategy for 2010 till 2020 is available for downloading here. It covers subjects such as what size of recording unit to use and when the next Atlas will be produced.

>> Recording Strategy (pdf 1.37Mb)

>> Sampling Guidance (pdf 371 kb)

The work of the Plant Unit is supprted by grants from Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales

Recent projects

UK plant surveillance scheme

A collaborative project with Plantlife, CEH and BTO  to develop a national plant surveillance scheme which would allow much clearer reporting and analyses of trends for British species. A report was published in 2010 and a field pilot is planned for 2012/13 to test the proposed methods (funding permitting).

Lawton Review

In 2010 BSBI provided the distribution data used to analyse the effectiveness of England’s Protected Site Network in helping to conserve species. This report has since influenced government thinking on how best to conserve species in the future.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition

Plant Unit staff worked closely with colleagues in CEH and Open University to assess evidence for impacts of nitrogen deposition on the British  flora.

Non-Native Species Secretariat Portal on invasive species

BSBI has produced species accounts for around 100 invasive aliens and a register of species traits for around 2000 taxa which are available via the NNSS Species Information Portal.

UK Species Status Assessment Group (UKSSAG)

Plant Unit staff are now responsible for coordinating the GB Red Listing process for higher plants  which will eventually lead to a revision of the most recent Red List by 2018.

NBN Data Quality and Mobilisation

Along with BTO, Butterfly Conservation and Marine Biological Association, BSBI have set out a series of guidelines on how to improve the quality and flow or records available via the NBN Gateway. 

PhD students

Alexandra Bell. The impacts of climate on southerly distributed plants species in the UK. Department of Biology, University of York (supervisors, Kevin Walker & Chris Thomas).

Alison Jukes. The distribution of alien species in the UK. Department of Biology University of York (supervisors: Kevin Walker & Chris Thomas).