Abstract
A simple, long-term (39-year), monitoring program is described, designed to assess the success of lowland heathland conservation management at Thurstaston Common SSSI on Wirral. This was carried out largely by volunteers with minimal equipment. We outline the process of moving the data from field-based collection sheets and simple Excel worksheets to a digital platform, where routine graphical and statistical analyses can be performed easily. We present some graphical outputs of change for selected species, tree height, and cover-weighted fertility index based on Ellenberg’s N values. Multivariate analysis separated sites into three categories based on an internally-generated traffic-light system. The results show that for the most part the current management (primarily grazing and tree removal) is maintaining the heath communities, although concerns were identified about an overall reduction in lichens, and in a few quadrats an increase in species indicative of fertile conditions. The derived results provide useful information to help the National Trust managers plan their activities. It is hoped that this paper might encourage other volunteer groups to consolidate their data digitally and perform similar analyses.