There was a fantastic turn out for the annual IW Recorder’s Conference hosted by IWNHAS, Saturday 11th November.
The Arreton Hall was packed with folks having a common interest in local wildlife recording. It was wonderful to catch-up with old friends and meet new – all presided over by our President – Matthew Chatfield.
Jamie Marsh (HIWWT – Director of Nature Recovery, Wilder Wight & Wilder Seas) was our first keynote speaker sharing progress, successes and lessons learned so far on The Trust’s two re-wilding sites on the IW – Wilder Duxmore and Wilder Nunwell. It was excellent to hear the about diversity of species and habitats theses sites are supporting since the pressure of farming has been removed from the land. Jamie also showed us the East Wight cluster of HIWWT reserves map and aspirations to connect these up in the future when opportunities may arise.
Just ahead of the break, Paul Davies (Ecologist – National Trust Isle of Wight) introduced us to a new project ‘White Cliffs and White Chalk Species Recovery Project’ which aims to support the recovery of specialist flora and fauna in two iconic landscapes, the White Cliffs of Dover and Isle of Wight. Paul is working on monitoring key species linked to chalk grassland habitats including: early gentian, oxtongue broomrape, glanville fritillary, white spot moth and dew footman moth.
Refreshing tea and delicious cakes baked by Newport IOW Country Market followed with the opportunity to catch-up with fellow recorders and browse pre-loved nature books and publications.
Following the interval, Theo Vickers‘ ‘Into the Wild Seas’ presentation was jam packed of dazzling underwater images taken by Theo himself from around the coastal waters of the IW. Theo is currently studying an Msc Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation and made the journey back to the IW to speak at the conference for which we are very grateful. Theo’s talk provided delegates with a glimpse into the incredible diversity that the intertidal waters of the Island support as well a highlighting the importance of species recording, and the impacts he’s witnessed due to warming seas, extreme weather and human pressures.
It’s well worth exploring Theo’s breathtaking website: https://theovickersmarinewildlife.co.uk/ and if you are interested in buying a print for Christmas, give Theo a shout via the Contact button.
Finally, Matthew spoke on Ian Boyd’s behalf about the Government’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy Local nature recovery strategies – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
We would like to thank all our speakers for their inspiring, engaging and thought provoking presentations; to all delegates attending, and to all IWNHAS Members and Volunteers whom keep the whole event running – see you next year!
