Wood Claire M, Metzger Marc J, Bunce Robert G H
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Library Avenue, Lancaster, UK.
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Environ Manage. 2025 Jul;75(7):1872-1885. doi: 10.1007/s00267-025-02175-5. Epub 2025 Apr 25.
Rescued data helps to strengthen ecological understanding of biodiversity change. This paper presents experience from safeguarding long-term strategic ecological surveys established by the late Professor Robert Bunce and colleagues in the 1970s: the Great Britain Countryside Surveys, and various related and complementary surveys in the period 1969 to the mid-1990s, including woodland surveys, and regional surveys for Cumbria and Shetland. These surveys are valuable data sources - especially considering national and global ecological restoration targets to address the biodiversity crisis - providing evidence to explore and understand ecological changes in the British countryside over time. For these kinds of data to be useful, usable and used, it is essential they are accessible and well managed, but many important ecological data sets are at risk of loss. A decade of work to protect the Bunce surveys has resulted in a structured five-step approach that can benefit other data rescue and safeguarding initiatives as well as scientists planning new ecological monitoring projects. The steps involve identifying available resources, processing datasets, assembling metadata, producing outputs and publishing. Valuable lessons learnt in the process include: (1) the growing appreciation and relevance of historic ecological data; (2) the importance of adequate resourcing and recognition of data rescue activity; (3) the value of engaging with the originators; (4) the need to identify and understand potential users and uses of the data. The Bunce legacy of strategic ecological surveys in the UK is now protected and the data available for repeat survey and further analysis.
抢救数据有助于加强对生物多样性变化的生态学理解。本文介绍了保护由已故的罗伯特·邦斯教授及其同事在20世纪70年代开展的长期战略生态调查的经验：英国乡村调查，以及1969年至20世纪90年代中期的各种相关和补充调查，包括林地调查以及坎布里亚和设得兰群岛的区域调查。这些调查是宝贵的数据来源——特别是考虑到国家和全球生态恢复目标以应对生物多样性危机——为探索和理解英国乡村随时间推移的生态变化提供了证据。要使这类数据有用、可用且得到使用，确保其可获取并得到妥善管理至关重要，但许多重要的生态数据集面临丢失风险。保护邦斯调查的十年工作形成了一种结构化的五步方法，这能使其他数据抢救和保护举措以及计划开展新生态监测项目的科学家受益。这些步骤包括识别可用资源、处理数据集、汇编元数据、产出成果和发布。在此过程中吸取的宝贵经验教训包括：（1）对历史生态数据的认识不断提高及其相关性；（2）为数据抢救活动提供充足资源和认可的重要性；（3）与数据原始创建者合作的价值；（4）识别和了解数据潜在用户及用途的必要性。英国战略生态调查的邦斯遗产现已得到保护，数据可供重复调查和进一步分析。
