The Validation Network Project aims to ensure that data on the condition of individual features on Sites of Special Scientific Interest are accurate, consistent and scientifically robust.
The specific aims of the lowland freshwater ditch data analysis project are:
- To validate the common standards monitoring condition assessment methodology for ditches.
- To establish a set of control sites to ensure that individual site assessments match regional or national changes over time.
- To contribute to a wider network of monitoring sites that will allow a better understanding of the drivers of change. Monitoring across a range of sites with similar habitats allows some determination of the condition of the resource as a whole, feeding into national and regional targets such as the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.