Publications

Publications

BTO create and publish a variety of important articles, papers, journals and other publications, independently and with our partners, for organisations, government and the private sector. Some of our publications (books, guides and atlases) are also available to buy in our online shop.

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Future scenarios for British biodiversity under climate and land-use change

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Published: 2026

Climate and land-use change have already contributed to species declines and extinctions in Great Britain, and are expected to cause further substantial alterations in plant and animal communities. More extinctions are likely even under optimistic scenarios, partly due to accumulating extinction debts. Reducing emissions and moving towards a more sustainable society could help ‘bend the curve’ of biodiversity loss, but this study shows that the actions taken during the next 20 years will be crucial.

31.03.26

Papers

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Trialling farmer wader counts and bioacoustics to aid agri-environment scheme evaluation

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Published: 2026

The primary tool by which wader conservation is delivered in farmed landscapes is agri-environment schemes, whereby payments incentivise land managers to conduct beneficial management for species or habitats. Assessments of the effectiveness of such schemes have been based on infrequent, large-scale surveys which do not produce landscape- or intervention-specific evidence to facilitate local adaptations to the design of agri-environment schemes. This report details work carried out at 10 participating farms in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where we trialled two methods that could help to evaluate the effectiveness of scheme measures at regional scales.

27.03.26

BTO Research Reports

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Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2025

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Published: 2026

This report is the published outcome of the work of the Northern Ireland Seabird Network — a network of volunteers, researchers and organisations — coordinated by the BTO Seabird Coordinator, and funded by NIEA. It contains detailed species accounts for the 22 breeding seabird species in Northern Ireland, as well as articles on a range of topics: Manx Shearwaters nesting on Rathlin Rathlin Island Breeding Seabird Census 2025 Tracking Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Lough Neagh Puffins return to Isle of Muck Outer Ards: 2025 Seabird Nesting Report Strangford Lough: 2025 Seabird Nesting Report Forthcoming seabird research work: ACCLIMATISE project

26.03.26

Reports Northern Ireland Seabird Report

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Connecting Constable and Gainsborough Country: baselining for landscape recovery using multi-taxa passive acoustic monitoring

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Published: 2026

Connecting Constable and Gainsborough Country is a DEFRA-funded Landscape Recovery project. This report describes the use of passive acoustic monitoring to assess the status and distribution of birds, bats, terrestrial small mammals, and bush-crickets across the Stour, Brett, and Box valleys in south Suffolk. The project supports habitat restoration and woodland connectivity, with a focus on rare or declining species of conservation concern, including the Hazel Dormouse, informed by robust monitoring.

25.03.26

BTO Research Reports

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Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 1986–2024

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Published: 2026

The annual report of the Seabird Monitoring Programme View and download the report Read the report online This report presents the latest seabird population trends in breeding abundance and productivity using data from the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP). It documents changes in the abundance and productivity of breeding seabird species in Britain and Ireland from 1986 to 2024. This report includes both inland and coastal populations and trends from the Channel Islands, England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, which are presented where sufficient data are available. The results from this report are used more broadly to assess the health of the wider environment, to inform policy and for conservation action.

19.03.26

Reports SMP Report

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