title: The Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme: objectives, achievements in the first four years, and plans for future development.
abstract: The Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme (SRMS) comprises 7 partner organizations and was established in 2002 after i) the publication of the UK Government's Raptor Working Group Report that made recommendations for enhanced monitoring, ii) increased applied data needs (e.g., for site designation), and iii) concerns for the status of some species. The SRMS has 3 major objectives: i) to facilitate cooperation between parties; ii) to provide robust information on Scottish raptor populations by determining trends in numbers, range, survival, and productivity and understanding the causes of change; and iii) to maintain high and uniform standards for the collection, collation, auditing, and analysis of data and reporting of information. Data are collected for 19 species: 14 diurnal raptors, 4 owls, and 1 corvid, the Common Raven. Here we describe the development of the scheme, challenges, and achievements during its first 4 y, the nature and value of the data collected, and plans for the future.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK. chris.wernham@bto.org
authors.forename: Chris V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Wernham
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Etheridge
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holling
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Riddle
authors.forename: Helen T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Patrick K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Stirling-Aird
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stroud
authors.forename: Des B A
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Jeremy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D046093:Falconiformes / Q000254:growth & development*; D006078:Government Programs; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012606:Scotland