ERIC North East reaches three million records milestone

Image: Grey seal with a tub gurnard in its mouth, submitted by David Jarema © David Jarema

A North East organisation which encourages wildlife enthusiasts to record their sightings has reached a major milestone.

The Environmental Records Information Centre North East (ERIC) now has over three million species records in its database. The achievement follows a huge injection of 200,000 records from Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club.

The three-millionth record was a linnet, a type of finch which has seen a decline in Britain since the mid-20th century.

Paul Stevens, ERIC North East Coordinator, said:

“It feels like such an achievement to hit this milestone. The priceless contribution of many groups and individuals over the years has helped develop this fantastic snapshot of the wildlife in the North East and long may it continue.”

From daisies to seals, woodpeckers and racoons, the ERIC database consists of sightings of flora and fauna in the region, recorded by people from all walks of life.

ERIC has an online recording portal which anyone can use to log their wildlife sightings and create an environmental record by answering four simple questions: What did you see? When did you see it? Where did you see it? Who are you?

Ultimately, the vast database is used by academics, conservation professionals and Government bodies as a resource to shape ecological decisions about the area’s wildlife.

This current milestone is the result of thousands of hours’ work over several years, including the huge amount of time ERIC spends extracting and manipulating the data to make it useable for those who need it.

Members of the public can visit www.ericnortheast.org.uk and use the ‘log my wildlife sightings’ link to access the portal and contribute their sightings.

Environmental Records Information Centre North East (ERIC) collates wildlife information for the region to inform nature conservation, development planning and academic research. It also encourages people to take an active role in gathering information about the wildlife and landscapes of the North East. It is operated by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and based in the Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne.