Glasgow Museums Biological Records Centre

Wildlife data for research, planning applications, conservation and environmental decision making.
Photograph of a small tortoiseshell butterfly on a flower.

Glasgow Museums Biological Records Centre collects, validates and manages wildlife data. We hold over 1 million biological records. This data informs environmental decision making at all levels, from research and planning applications to national and local wildlife conservation. It is used by businesses, local authorities, recording groups, and the public.

We are a member of the Association of Local Environmental Records Centres.

Where do we cover?

  • Glasgow
  • Renfrewshire
  • East Renfrewshire
  • Inverclyde
  • East Dunbartonshire
  • West Dunbartonshire
  • South Lanarkshire
  • North Lanarkshire
  • parts of Argyll & Bute (VC99 and Bute)

Sharing biological records

All biological records are valuable. They help us understand species distribution and wildlife health.

Send us your biological records

We have two recording forms: a word document and an excel document. The word document is best if you are sending us one or two records. The excel document is best when sending in a lot of records.

Please email completed documents to biological.records@glasgowlife.org.uk.

It is helpful if you include a photograph of what you saw. This helps us to confirm the species.

Recording wildlife online or using an app

There are several online systems for wildlife recording. We recommend iRecord, managed by The Biological Records Centre. It is free to use as a phone app or in a web browser.

Requesting wildlife data

We are currently closed for data requests and apologise for any problems this causes. When we have a reopening date we will publish it on this webpage.

Relevant publications

Glasgow Museums Biological Records Centre: achievements over the past 25 years and future prospects. R.B. Weddle & R.S. Haggard in The Glasgow Naturalist 28(2), 2024.

The "Clyde Cards": an account of biological recording in the west of Scotland. R.B. Weddle in The Glasgow Naturalist 23(6), 2001.