Issue
17
Page
2
The last red data book for British invertebrates was published by JNCC in 1991, and 17 years is a long time in terms of pressures facing our more vulnerable molluscs.
The Conchological Society has begun the process of recommending an updated regional red data list for land and freshwater molluscs, which we hope that JNCC will adopt and will help conserve species that are both seriously in danger of extinction, or are on the verge of being threatened with extinction. The best information we have on species distributional changes are the Society’s two atlas publications of Kerney from 1976 and 1999. One problem in seeing the true picture of species change is the lack of records in the society’s database from recent years. The 1999 atlas itself was relying on older data for many species and is itself 9 years old - and regional red lists should ideally be updated every 5 years!! We have a lot of members out and about looking for snails, and some of the species we find are the usual common species we would expect as well as the few rare gems. However, unless the Society gets the records for the common species as well as the rare ones, we will not be getting the full picture. So here is an appeal to those of you that jot down the snails and slugs you find – please empty your notebooks into the society’s database by sending your records, no matter how few or how common you think the species are to the non-marine recorder Adrian Norris.
Now we are in summer, maybe this would also encourage you out to do some fresh recording for even more up to date records! Happy hunting!