The Dumfries and Galloway Environmental Resources Centre (DGERC) is the local environmental records centre for our region and provides access to high quality wildlife and habitat information from national and local sources. The Centre collects, collates, manages and disseminates information on the flora, fauna, geology and other aspects of D&Gs natural environment and promotes and encourages biological recording in the region. The information is available to all.
While many people are interested in wildlife, few actually record what they identify. This is the valuable information the centre are looking for; it can help to contribute greatly to local knowledge… Records can help to establish the distribution and size of populations, and regular recording may allow us to detect changes over time. Records can identify the location of rare and locally important species, and can be used to help protect them and their habitats from damage.
Even records of commoner species can be valuable too. A great deal of useful information remains locked inside the heads of local people – why not help by sending in your wildlife records and make the information available to present and future generations!
Their website provides lots of information on how you can get involved e.g.
- Use the wild search map map to discover which species have been recorded in your area
- Find out more about the special species and habitats in Dumfries and Galloway
- Send in your records for some target species
- Find out more about wildlife recording
- Learn about the species of the month
The DGERC has a growing database of wildlife and habitat information and access to details of designated sites and other sites of conservation interest (ancient woodlands, red squirrel priority woodlands etc). The information they provide enables those involved in decision-making to gain an informed picture of the wildlife interest of their study area.
The DGERC also has access to a set of aerial photos for the region. A complete survey was undertaken in 1997-98 and, with the exception of a few minor gaps, there is full coverage for the whole of Dumfries and Galloway. The images have been digitally scanned and orthorectified and are available as tif/jpg images and are charged at £20 per digital tile, each tile covering approximately 2km².