ABSTRACT
Knowledge of wildlife in the UK is built on the work of thousands of volunteers. These volunteers contribute thousands of records to organisations such as the BTO, Butterfly Conservation and The British Mammal Society. These organisations coordinate formal programmes such as the Breeding Bird Survey, the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and the National Small Mammal Monitoring Scheme. It is through such schemes that they and similar bodies representing virtually every form of life are able to inform national government about the variety of life, the biodiversity, within the nation.
