Monitoring & Recording
Monitoring & Recording: Tracking Change on the Isle of Wight
Why Monitor?
Every patch matters, and every observation helps. Recording what you see — even small changes — builds a clearer picture of how the Island’s wildlife is responding to nature-recovery actions. Your notes, photos and sightings can guide the next steps of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and show what’s working in real places. Monitoring doesn’t have to be technical: it’s about noticing what lives alongside you.
Start Simple: Three Ways to Notice
Look & Listen – Spend five quiet minutes each week in your space. Notice sounds, movement, colour.
Photograph – Take a photo from the same spot each season; this shows how plants spread and habitats mature.
List & Share – Write down or record what you see: birds, pollinators, mosses, fungi, tracks or nests.
What to Record
Plants
What to note: What species appear, flower or seed.
Why it helps: Reveals soil health and local seedbank recovery.
Insects
What to note: Bees, butterflies, beetles, dragonflies.
Why it helps: Indicates pollinator activity and seasonal shifts.
Birds
What to note: Visitors, calls, feeding or nesting behaviour.
Why it helps: Tracks habitat use and food availability.
Amphibians & Reptiles
What to note: Frogs, toads, newts, slow-worms, lizards.
Why it helps: Shows water quality and shelter conditions.
Mammals
What to note: Hedgehogs, bats, squirrels, small mammals.
Why it helps: Reflects wider habitat connectivity.
Soil & Water
What to note: Dampness, leaf litter depth, worm activity.
Why it helps: Demonstrates improving ground conditions.
How to Record
Paper or notebook – A simple log with dates and short notes is enough.
Photos – Store them by month or season; they double as monitoring evidence.
Apps & online tools:
iRecord – upload wildlife sightings for national data.
iNaturalist UK – photograph and identify species collaboratively.
Isle of Wight Local Records Centre – share verified records for the Island.
Tips for Useful Monitoring
Be consistent. Same place, roughly same time of day each visit.
Note the date and weather. Light, temperature and rainfall all influence wildlife activity.
Don’t disturb. Observe quietly and keep to paths where possible.
Include “nothing.” Absence data (e.g. “no frogs this year”) is valuable.
Invite others. School pupils, neighbours or colleagues notice different things.
Citizen Science & Projects
Link your local work to national or regional surveys when you can:
Participation helps integrate community records with professional monitoring under the LNRS framework.
Why It Matters
Small, local data builds the bigger picture of Island recovery — identifying which actions work best and where support is needed. Your monitoring helps demonstrate that collective local effort drives measurable change — the foundation of the Isle of Wight’s UNESCO Biosphere.
“Supports LNRS Overarching Measures OV1.3, OV1.5 and OV1.6 — building shared data and community participation for nature recovery across the Isle of Wight.”