Groundbreaking project maps endangered species in Wiltshire

The Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Centre (WSBRC) has successfully unveiled a comprehensive assessment of the most vital wildlife species in the county. For the first time, the county’s threatened species have been meticulously catalogued and their whereabouts precisely mapped.

Thanks to a collaboration with County Species Recorders, a compilation of critically important species unique to Wiltshire, aptly named “Wiltshire’s Critical Species,” has been meticulously compiled. Furthermore, a digital platform has been launched, allowing enthusiasts to explore interactive maps showcasing the recorded locations of these creatures.

Funded by Natural England through the Species Recovery Programme, the Wiltshire’s Critical Species Project serves as a pioneering pilot initiative. The project webpage, accessible at offers an in-depth report and an interactive species distribution map.

Jon Isherwood, manager of Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Record Centre, said: “We are very grateful to Natural England for supporting this project, which has enabled us to carry out some deep analysis of data on our priority and threatened species in Wiltshire and Swindon.

“Our staff, County Recorders and workshop participants worked hard in reviewing and analysing the data; out of an initial long list of 268 species that were considered, 133 species were identified as critically important in a Wiltshire context. These ranged from still common, but much declined species, such as hedgehogs and toads, to much scarcer species such as curlew, the Duke of Burgundy butterfly and the reintroduced Great Bustard.

“This work will provide valuable information for a variety of future conservation strategies and efforts, including community level Neighbourhood Plans and landscape-scale Local Nature Recovery Strategies. We hope this work will also help target and encourage more recording effort, which can provide more information to us in the future and add to the county’s environmental evidence base”.

Charles Routh, nature recovery senior adviser for Wiltshire at Natural England, emphasised the ambitious targets set by the government for nature recovery.

“The government has set some really ambitions targets for nature recovery, including reducing the number of species at threat of extinction. The idea of this project was to understand which of England’s 2,000+ threatened species Wiltshire has a particular responsibility to conserve and enhance.

“Now, for the first time ever, conservation professionals, amateur wildlife recorders, and the wider public can see on an interactive map where the most important species for nature conservation are in the county.

“I hope these resources will inspire and inform species conservation work across Wiltshire, and also encourage people to send in more wildlife records. If you come across any interesting wildlife, using something like the iRecord app on your mobile makes it’s really easy to submit a record. Submit a photo if you’re not sure.”

To contribute to wildlife conservation and record sightings download the iRecord app, accessible at