Northern Ireland is home to a vast array of extraordinary natural wonders. From lush, wooded valleys to rugged wave-lashed cliffs, expansive sandy beaches, rolling peat bogs, and flower-filled meadows, the landscape is rich in biodiversity.

Now conservation organisations are pooling their resources and reaching out to citizens to help gather more information about our unique natural heritage.

For decades, wildlife organisations have been assessing the state of our countryside, recording the changing fortunes of the region’s native plants, birds, and animals. Thanks to the tireless efforts of hundreds of volunteers, who have gathered invaluable data from across the counties, we have a good sense of the state of Northern Ireland’s environmental health.

This information can prove invaluable when assessing protected areas, implementing planning proposals and informing long-term population studies.

As we move into an era of continued challenge for much of our natural heritage, it is becoming increasingly clear to many of the environmental organisations working in Northern Ireland that there is still a great deal of work to be done. Identifying a need to increase the number of volunteers to support ongoing surveys across Northern Ireland, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) commissioned a report to assess the barriers and challenges, and to identify the solutions that will improve biological recording across the country.

Combining the efforts of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, British Trust for Ornithology and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Terrestrial Surveillance Development and Analysis (TSDA) Partnership was formed. Incorporating input from around 20 environmental organisations including Ulster Wildlife, Butterfly Conservation, The Mammal Society, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the project set out to identify issues that may hinder progress when surveying Northern Ireland’s wealth of fauna and flora.

This ground-breaking collaborative approach allowed the partners to discuss the various concerns faced by each organisation when it comes to managing citizen science projects in Northern Ireland. Some of the key difficulties included shortfalls in funding and staffing, recruitment and training of volunteers, gaining access to sites, lack of consistency in data sharing between the various organisations, and raising awareness and participation in more remote communities.

Andrew Upton, Senior Research Ecologist with BTO Northern Ireland said, “We hope that by improving the way that conservation bodies engage and enthuse with Northern Ireland’s citizens, we can help inspire greater connection and enjoyment of the richness of the country’s natural environment.”

Steve Wilkinson, JNCC's Director of Ecosystem Evidence and Advice, said, “This invaluable work is a vital step in bringing people, organisations and nature together to appreciate and understand NI's amazing natural environment and all of our roles in it. As an agriculturally-focussed country, I also think there is more we need to do through this work to strengthen the engagement with the farming sector to build stronger mutual understanding of the opportunities.”

• Read the full report on the JNCC website.