Come and be part of a global voice for wild plants and fungi
Discover the magical world of the UK’s wonderful wild plants and fungi and connect with nature near you.
There are many different ways you can go the extra mile for Plantlife – from organising a bake sale, running the London Marathon or planning your own plant-themed event.
Our corporate partners benefit from 35 years of experience in nature restoration so they can achieve real impact.
Become a Plantlife member today and together we will rebuild a world rich in plants and fungi
Robust and systematic monitoring of plant species, the foundations of our habitats and ecosystems, is essential in understanding the effects of growing pressures on our wild plants and landscapes.
Built on partnership and government funded research, the National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS) is a nationwide project, supported by hundreds of dedicated citizen scientists, heading out annually to conduct botanical surveys at their allocated sites.
These long-term botanical surveys in random 1 km squares continue to provide a growing dataset across the UK, enabling us to study the abundance and diversity of plants through time, within 30 different habitats.
For example, data from four of the scheme’s best surveyed broad habitats have already been used to create a new UK biodiversity indicator. We have also been busy working on our large dataset investigating the impacts of climate change and other environmental pressures on our habitats.
NPMS volunteers, from beginners to experienced botanists, are asked to survey 5 small plots within their allocated 1km survey square twice a year, with the first surveys kicking off in April. They can do this at one of 3 different survey levels depending on their experience and confidence.
The beginner level surveys for example ask volunteers to record around just 10-15 common and easily identifiable species at each plot. Volunteers have full access to their own data and the whole NPMS data set, along with a raft of guidance and free training materials and opportunities.
The National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS) is organized and funded by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, Plantlife and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The NPMS is indebted to all volunteers who contribute data to the scheme.
The sun is shining, the days are longer and our green fingers are ready to get stuck back in to some spring gardening.
Getting out and looking for fungi can be a great way to connect with nature and discover more about this amazing kingdom. Here our Specialist Botanical Advisor, Sarah Shuttleworth, gives her top tips for finding fungi!
Recent studies have revealed that there's so much fungi out there that we don't know about. But how do we know this? Rachel Inhester, from our science team, tells us why.
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