EMAIL: data@cperc.org.uk CALL: 01954 713570 Follow us on facebook
Zsuzsanna Bird
About us
History of CPERC
CPERC was formed as the CPBRC in 2004 and expanded in 2005 through a National Lottery Heritage Grant and by a coalition of supporting Partners from Local Authorities, Natural England, and The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
CPBRC was envisioned as a one-stop-shop for local biological records that would make logistical and economic sense for the end users of the data as well as providing a reliable source for verified data of known provenance and credibility. In addition, it has a role in supporting local naturalists in their work across the county studying our county’s biodiversity.
In 2010 CPBRC changed its name to CPERC, to reflect a wider array of data holdings relevant to biodiversity reporting. The following year, the record centre was one of the first to be formally accredited by the Association of Local Environmental Record Centres (ALERC), an external recognition of quality of service. CPERC is now firmly established as the trusted source for environmental, wildlife and habitat information in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
CPERC is hosted by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (Wildlife Trust BCN).
Our current partners are
- Anglian Water https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/
- Cambridge City Council https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/
- Cambridgeshire County Council https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/
- East Cambridgeshire District Council https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/
- Environment Agency https://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/
- Fenland District Council https://www.fenland.gov.uk/
- Huntingdonshire District Council https://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/
- Middle Level Commissioners https://middlelevel.gov.uk/
- Peterborough City Council https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/
- South Cambridgeshire District Council https://www.scambs.gov.uk/
- Wildlife Trust BCN https://www.wildlifebcn.org/
Our Database
The data that we collate and manage comes from a variety of sources including local recorders, statutory bodies like Natural England and conservation organisations like the Wildlife Trust. We work with local experts to make sure that all the records we use with decision makers are verified and as up-to-date as possible, and we never give out personal details of observers.
Our database currently holds hundreds of thousands of records of rare and common animals and plants as well as describing local sites important to wildlife. This data builds a picture of our local biodiversity resources and thus helps inform decision makers about how to undertake sustainable development locally without impacting biodiversity.
All of the data we hold belongs to the organisations and individuals who are out there collecting valuable records of our wildlife year on year, and we do not use data for specific purposes against the wishes of the originators of the records.
Regional / wider information
Zsuzsanna Bird
CPERC is one of a network of local record centres throughout the UK, all of which are not-for-profit organisations, acting as the primary one-stop-shop for biodiversity data in each county or local area. It is not uncommon for record centres to work together on cross-county data searches or projects; in the eastern England region, eight county record centres meet throughout the year to discuss general matters related to their everyday work. Although record centres can vary greatly in their size, set up and output, it is easy to identify commonalities between them such as the level of support received from data users and the relationships with those providing data. The sharing of best practice and dissemination of information across the region and wider landscape is crucial for local record centres to offer the best available services and products to data users and data providers, thereby increasing both financial support and data holdings respectively.