Transcript

Ecosystems and diversity - a practical activity

CHRIS PACKHAM

The Open University's iSpot is a great website. It's not only about phenology, noting seasonal markers. It's about general wildlife observations too and it's great fun. So, basically, if you are out and about and you come across something that's unusual in your area, or you can't identify, all you do is take a simple photograph of it - doesn't have to be a work of art - just a clear, concise photograph which you then upload to the site. Simply log-on to ispot.org.uk. It really is quick and easy to register. And once you've done it, you're ready to add your own exciting findings to the database and find out what everyone else is talking about. To upload a photo, just click on Add an Observation. Using the form provided, fill in as much information as you can about your find. The more specific you can be, the better. But if you're not sure what it is you've seen, just ask the iSpot community for their thoughts. You can even use the integrated map facility which allows you to pinpoint exactly where you took your photo. And that's all there is to it. Within a very short space of time, someone will have probably got back to you with an answer. This iSpot turned out to be a banded snail and within hours someone even deduced it might be a juvenile proving the site really does work. And it doesn't have to be just about identifying things either. If you see something that you're genuinely really excited about. Particularly if you're able to grab a picture and upload it. Then this is a great place to communicate your enthusiasm because the community that uses the site is there to do so. You'll get whole streams of people interacting about topics from all over the country. It's a place also - I've got to say - where you can learn a lot, as well. And the more people that sign up, get involved, and add their observations the better the site will become. It will slowly build up into an incredibly rich resource telling us lots of things about the wildlife in the UK. Some of which might help that wildlife in the future. So do everything you can to get involved. It's great fun.