UK Glow Worm Survey privacy policy

This website is run by Robin Scagell, who carries out the UK Glow Worm Survey. It asks for personal details, namely your name and address, phone number and email address. None of these are obligatory, but they are really helpful to the Glow Worm Survey, for the following reasons.

Because the site is used solely for natural history recording, specifically of glow worms, it is very useful to have the recorder’s name so as to avoid duplication of data. Your address is also useful in determining your familiarity with the area being recorded, and also so that I can suggest sites that are local to you. But if you choose not to give your full name or address, the information is still recorded, though with less confidence as to its source.

Your email address is needed in case I have further questions about your sighting.

What I do with your data

The information is recorded on a database, currently MapMate. The recording may be done by a third party, but only by a trusted individual. It is also forwarded to the National Recorder for Coleoptera, Keith Alexander. He may place the information on the National Biodiversity Network database, though this does not record individual addresses.

Sightings are also reported on Twitter, a blog, and on Facebook. However, only sites which you state are publicly accessible, or which are known to be publicly accessible (such as roadside verges) are reported in such detail (six-figure map references), that they can be visited. Sites which are on private property are listed only in vague terms, such as a place name, which would not allow anyone to find the site.

I do not maintain a separate database of contact details, and these are not made available to any outside party. Lists of sites are sometimes provided to researchers, but the contact details are not included in these listings.

Robin Scagell, June 2012

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