Looking beyond the spots: inspiring the public to record ladybirds
Brown, Peter M.J.; Ware, Remy L.; Roy, Helen E. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6050-679X.
2010
Looking beyond the spots: inspiring the public to record ladybirds.
In: Babendreier, Dirk; Aebi, Alexandre; Kenis, Marc; Roy, Helen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6050-679X, (eds.)
Proceedings of the first meeting on “Harmonia axyridis and other ladybirds”.
International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants, West Palearctic Regional Section (IOBC/WPRS), 19-22.
(IOBC/WPRS Bulletin, v. 58).
Abstract/Summary
The Coccinellidae Recording Scheme, the UK’s scheme for mapping coccinellid distributions, was launched in 1968 and was led by Michael Majerus from the 1980s. In the early years participants tended to be experienced naturalists, so to draw others in, Mike set up a very successful offshoot, the Cambridge Ladybird Survey (CLS), a public outreach survey that ran from 1984 to 1994. The CLS generated a huge amount of data and made a significant contribution to Mike’s New Naturalist ‘Ladybirds’ book (1994). When Harmonia axyridis arrived in the UK in late 2004, Mike realised the potential for involving the public in a unique opportunity to study the spread of an invasive animal from the start of the invasion process. Thus the Harlequin Ladybird Survey was launched in early 2005 as one of the first online wildlife surveys in the UK. Over 26,000 online records have been received, enabling a study of unprecedented detail. Mike was very adept at using the media to convey his message. His expertise extended to the Lepidoptera (including evolutionary studies of the peppered moth Biston betularia) and presidency of the Amateur Entomologists' Society, enabling further outreach opportunities.
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
Document Downloads
Downloads for past 30 days
Downloads per month over past year
Tools
Tools
