SYCL developed to record Regular (and Irregular) Events

The Thinking behind a System for Community Liaison (SYCL)

 

Parish Councils and community clubs (e.g. farming, fishing, scouting, women’s institutes, toddler groups, village halls and pony clubs etc.) are examples of a great many people giving to their community and gaining from it in different ways.

 

People may go bird-watching, horse riding, ploughing, gardening or sight-seeing, shooting or fishing, or walk just for the fresh air and exercise, perhaps with a dog. On these excursions much knowledge is gained, e.g. where the land is boggy, where the buzzard always sits, where the blackberries are, etc. 

 

It has long been realised that local communities have no way of passing on these titbits of information. However, if the knowledge were to be collected to help understand and manage nature, then community members could start to play a role in gaining and disseminating knowledge for the benefit of all in the community.

 

After all, nature tends to be best preserved where humans benefit and learn about it. Using nature can provide jobs that help to preserve and protect it, e.g. bird watching leads to visitor centres, fishing to water management, shooting to game-keepering. What pays, stays. Merely enjoying a walk along a meadow will be enough for people to become aware of the wild flowers, birds and small mammal life there and accordingly provide a place for youngsters to go with their parents and treasure in the future.

 

Read more on how these activities can aid nature conservation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Restoring nature

 

Sadly, much nature has been lost to building and intensive cultivation. Some unwelcome species, introduced from other lands, spread too well. Other species don’t spread well enough to recolonise old haunts, but could be restored.

 

SYCL is linked to projects to help communities restore the lost animals and plants, remove the introduced invasives and manage ones that can be welcome if not too abundant.

 

Have a look!

 

SYCL sites already serve Parish Councils and clubs for local activities, including tourism at local level. European groups and even global ones use SYCL too. Have a look at examples on the Links page and see how sites can be networked for projects too.