'Giving' your data to DBRC - how does it work?

The Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC) aims to act as a central point where wildlife information is collected together so that we can all get a clearer idea of what is happening to our environment. 

You can send records in using our online recording form, or you can contact us to request a recording pack or a spreadsheet if you have a lot of records.  It helps us if you use our standard forms/spreadsheet so that you include all of the information that we need.  We can also set up a formal Data Agreement, where we agree that we will swap records on a regular basis, and we specify how the data can be used.  Please contact us if you want to set up a Data Agreement

Data held by DBRC will be made available to all sincere enquirers unless the data requested is restricted.  We ask an enquirer to complete a  Data request form, and may take up references before the data is supplied.  DBRC also supplies data to the NBN Gateway (National Biodiversity Network Gateway) which makes data available for wider use by members of the public.

If you are contributing records to DBRC the records still belong to you; there is no transfer of copyright.  So, you can request that some or all of your data is kept confidential, and that it will not be released without your permission.  We hope that such a restriction would be reserved for data on sensitive species.  DBRC restricts access to records of sensitive species such as badger setts, raptor nests and roosts, otter holts and details of species that Natural England, the Environment Agency or the Devon Wildlife Trust consider to be particularly sensitive or endangered

DBRC does not pass on personal details relating to recorders, without prior permission being given by the individual.  However, we may provide names of recorders when we are swapping data with other recording groups, so that they can check to see if they already have your records.