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CoRE Species
Catalogue of Rare and Endangered Species to Britain
held within the Collections of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
This website consists of a searchable catalogue of the British specimens of species of conservation concern to be found in the collections of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. This includes animals, plants and fungi.
Initial priority has been given to species covered by the Biodiversity Action Plan for the UK (UKBAP) and the Natural Environment & Rural Communities Act 2006: Section 42 list of Species of Principal Importance for Conservation of Biological Diversity in Wales (Section 42). The database will be extended in future to contain data on rare species that are not currently included in any of the legislative lists.
Data Limitations
Many of the specimens included were collected before the need for detailed data was recognised. Locality data can be sparse, lacking accuracy and often without OS Grid references or similar co-ordinates. Users are advised not to add co-ordinates in an attempt to place localities within 1 or 10km blocks.
Identifications have largely been confirmed but there may be instances, especially within species complexes, where some doubt may still exist. Should any user question the accuracy of the identification we welcome its reassessment by a suitable expert. Unfortunately we do not have sufficient taxonomic expertise to cover every group.
Data Access
The full data associated with these specimens has been made available to the Local Record Centres in Wales but for certain sensitive species we may have refrained from releasing locality details in full. Legitimate enquiries seeking access to such details can be made through the LRCs or to the National Museum Wales in writing at the address given on the contacts page.
Voucher Specimens
The majority of specimens were collected decades before conservation legislation was introduced and more recent acquisitions have been accepted only once the required authority to collect has been proven or granted. We encourage the deposition of voucher specimens that have been collected legally through surveys or research projects commissioned or sanctioned by relevant agencies. Researchers can make an appointment to visit and use the collections here at National Museum Wales (see contacts page for details).
Further Developments
The various protected species lists do not include all the rare species to be found in the UK and we intend to broaden the scope of this database to include our holdings of rare species.