This manual presents standard protocols for collecting plant and fungi vouchers in British Columbia (animal vouchers are covered in manual No. 4a). The manual was compiled by the Elements Working Group of the Terrestrial Ecosystems Task Force, under the auspices of the Resources Inventory Committee (RIC). The objectives of the working group are to develop inventory methods that will lead to the collection of comparable, defensible, and useful inventory and monitoring data for the species component of biodiversity.
This manual is part of the Standards for Components of British Columbia's Biodiversity (CBCB) series. The series includes an introductory manual (Species Inventory Fundamentals No. 1) which describes the history and objectives of RIC, and outlines the general process of conducting a species inventory according to RIC standards, including selection of inventory intensity, sampling design, sampling techniques, and statistical analysis. The Species Inventory Fundamentals manual provides important background information and should be thoroughly reviewed before commencing with a RIC wildlife inventory. RIC standards are also available for vertebrate taxonomy (No. 2), animal capture and handling (No. 3), and radio-telemetry (No. 5). Field personnel should be thoroughly familiar with these standards before engaging in field inventories which involve any of these activities. The rest of the series is comprised of standard protocols designed specifically for groups of species with similar inventory requirements.
Standard data forms are required for all RIC species inventory. Survey-specific data forms accompany most manuals while general wildlife inventory forms are available in Species Inventory Fundamentals No. 1 [Forms]. This is important to ensure compatibility with provincial data systems, as all information must eventually be included in the Species Inventory Datasystem (SPI). For more information about SPI and data forms, visit the Species Inventory Homepage at: http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/rib/wis/spi/
It is recognized that development of standard methods is necessarily an ongoing process. The CBCB manuals are expected to evolve and improve very quickly over their initial years of use. Field testing is a vital component of this process and feedback is essential. Comments and suggestions can be forwarded to the Elements Working Group by contacting:
Species Inventory Unit
Wildlife Inventory Section, Resource Inventory Branch
Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks
P.O. Box 9344, Station Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9M1
Tel: (250) 387 9765