Who does the survey?

The ERAMMP fieldwork is carried out by a team of 37 experienced professional surveyors hired by UKCEH. 

Despite their already high-level of technical skills as botanists, before the survey starts they follow a comprehensive, 3-week long training programme that will cover all aspects of data-collection, health and safety, biosecurity protocols, first-aid and off-road driving. 

The surveyors work in teams following detailed survey methodologies documented in field handbooks for consistently and comparability. 

How is data assessed?  

As with all survey data, there is always some inevitable variation in recording. Therefore, our team of scientists produce a quantitative and predicable measure of consistency and reliability of the data. A separate independent specialist quality assurance exercise is undertaken, re-sampling a small number of locations, to understand and ensure there is no significant bias in the data collected. 

What is analysed? 

The soil and water samples are analysed in the UKCEH laboratories in either Bangor or Lancaster. 

Samples are prepared for detailed chemical and physical analysis. 

For soil samples we measure: PH, Loss on ignition, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Bulk density, Moisture content (volumetric & gravimetric), Porosity & Peat depth 

The water samples are analysed for: a selection of structural, hydrological and biological attributes, counts of invertebrate species & categories of aquatic plant species 

The collected samples and observations, past and present, are studied to detect short and long-term trends. All of the samples and data are stored in the UKCEH secure facilities in Bangor and Lancaster. 

By adopting the ‘ecosystems approach’ of co-locating all of the measurements, the research scientists in UKCEH can detect and quantify the interconnected drivers and impacts of environmental change and make broader estimates of environmental measures across all of Wales.