Description text here about the available downloads.

	A Review of Somerset\'s Mature Woodland Invertebrates and their Habitats, with Particular Reference to Woodland-interiors Richard Thompson 1999 [Click to Download]
	New Life for Old Trees Britain contains more large, ancient trees than anywhere else in north-west Europe (Sisitka 1996). Often referred to as veteran trees, they are a living link with the “wildwood” that covered much of the country two thousand years ago and are certainly an important part of the make up of Somerset. Many animals and plants depend upon the special conditions the characteristic features of these trees afford, such as dead wood, loose bark, bracket fungi, hollows and the like. From the famous giant ash at Clapton Court to the strange squat pollards of the Mells Valley, their sheer stature and often peculiar growth form are a striking and well loved feature of the landscape. Hence the Somerset Veteran Tree Project, the result of a partnership between the Somerset Wildlife Trust, English Nature and the Exmoor National Park Authority with additional funding support from a variety of sources including the Forestry Commission (formerly Forest Authority) and Somerset County Council. The project commenced at the end of October 1996, with the following aims: Gaining a better understanding of the county’s remaining stock of veteran trees. Encouraging their conservation. [Click to Download]
	Search Service - Enquiry Form This document is for those wishing to make use of the Search Service. Details of which are on this site. Only the last three pages need to be returned to SERC. [Click to Download]
	Search Service - Enquiry Form This document is for those wishing to make use of the Search Service. Details of which are on this site. Only the last three pages need to be returned to SERC. [Click to Download]
	Somerset Ancient Woodland Indicators This single page document contains a list of indicators for Somerset. It has been derived from the analysis of data at SERC. [Click to Download]
	Somerset Grassland Fungi Project 1997-99 In 1995, the Somerset Wildlife Trust, through SERC, had a clear enough appreciation of trends in Somerset confidently to identify agriculturally “unimproved” and hence species-rich grasslands as the most endangered, and most rapidly disappearing habitat. There was an emerging body of opinion, however, which held that grassland fungi, especially the fungi of the waxcap family, could act as indicators of wildlife value in grassland habitats. With the encouragement of the British Mycological Society, and helped with grants from English Nature and the Ernest Cook Trust, the Trust accordingly decided to invest some of its capital reserve in a piece of original research, correlating grassland fungi with more conventional indicators of wildlife value. The result was the attached report. It is the work of Richard Thompson alone; but the Trust is proud to have commissioned it, commends it to interested ecologists and land managers, and will be developing uses for its conclusions in coming years. [Click to Download]
	Somerset Notable Species Dictionary The Dictionary comprises a series of lists for the main floral and faunal groups. Each list is derived from the Red Data lists of nationally notable species, along with those species which have some degree of protection in national or international law - primarily through the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981 amended 1988) and the European Union Habitats Directive (1992) and Birds Directive. For the first time the Dictionary also includes Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. Using these sources in combination with data held at SERC and elsewhere, lists have been produced which contain those species that have importance in Somerset. For those groups where data is plentiful, it has also been possible to identify species that are not nationally notable, but which are uncommon in the county. [Click to Download]
	Training Scheme Training Scheme If you are looking for a career in Wildlife Conservation but are aware of how difficult it is to gain the necessary experience to find your first paid job, SERC has some excellent opportunities for you. We provide some really worthwhile conservation work experience whilst improving upon your ecological skills and making you 100% employable in the environmental job market. SERC aims to provide the necessary skills and experience required to gain employment in ecological survey or nature conservation related work. Almost all of the graduates who have worked with us have landed paid jobs in ecology or conservation. We have frequent feed back from employers saying they feel that SERC provides graduates with exactly the sort of apprenticeship in conservation to be really useful employees. As a result employers frequently come directly to us for recruitment needs, by-passing the usual processes. Our track record of getting people into paid jobs in conservation has shown that relevant work experience is often more important in enhancing your employability in this competitive field than gaining additional academic qualifications. The typical profile of a SERC trainee is someone who has realised that enthusiasm and commitment alone are not enough to secure paid work in wildlife conservation. Usually half the people we take on have a second degree. Almost always they have done some conservation based volunteer work in an attempt to gain experience. Other training opportunities often concentrate on practical conservation rather than on the wide range of skills required for most jobs. Additionally many find that some other volunteer opportunities may be rather menial or not very structured because no-one is prepared to give the necessary time to train you to do worthwhile work. At SERC we aim to provide really solid botanical survey skills so that trainees can readily recognise wildlife-rich habitats and their components as well as a broad range of workplace and report-writing skills. The detailed training aims of this course are enclosed. There is also a job description which defines what your duties at SERC will be. The training we provide will enable you to perform all these duties. We require enthusiastic individuals to join our team of trainees, to cover planning and survey work. While the main survey season is spring – autumn, there is usually some field survey throughout the year providing invaluable winter botanical skills. There will usually be an opportunity to undertake a special project for SERC. Examples of previous projects include dormouse, hedgerow and veteran tree projects. All projects are designed to be relevant to the current nature conservation issues and the work of the records centre and tailored to your particular skills and interests or you can even develop your own project if you prefer. The scheme combines in-house training sessions (taking place ˝ to 1 day per week) with work experience in up to three main subject areas. All successful applicants will participate in ecological survey throughout their time at SERC. In addition to this everyone will take a turn at working in the area of nature conservation and the planning process. As a final point SERC provides training in Record Centre Management including training in the use of biological databases, GIS, (Geographical Information Systems), policy issues such as confidentiality of sensitive data, document control and copyright issues. Usually when a trainee, who is under 25, has been unemployed for 6 months they become eligible for New Deal but many of our trainees are older than this. Some of the training sessions are directly aimed at the main subject areas. Whilst some are samplers of various aspects of natural history and nature conservation, others are designed to meet the specific requirements of New Deal training schemes. We also have a number of sessions in which speakers from main environmental agencies talk about their work, enabling you to assess the range of employment possibilities. Whilst we encourage our surveyors to apply for jobs in conservation during their time with us, if you have other major commitments (courses, travelling etc.) within the next 12 months please do not apply. For sustainability reasons trainees are normally expected to move to within 15 miles of the SERC offices at Wellington or to use public transport or car share. Liz Biron Survey Manager [Click to Download]