Welcome to the 2022-2023 Annual Report and Financial Statements of the National Biodiversity Network Trust. This document fulfils the Trust's statutory reporting requirements as a charity registered in England and Wales and a company limited by guarantee. A more detailed review of the NBN Trust's activities and achievements through the year can be found in our Annual Impact Report 2022-23.
The National Biodiversity Network Trust (‘NBN Trust’ or ‘Trust’) is a specialist charity with the mission of “making data work for nature”. We believe that the adage “What gets measured gets done” applies in nature conservation just as it applies in business, and we take pride in sharing the biodiversity data needed for nature’s recovery: data to plan, to set targets, and to measure and monitor progress.
We’re a nature conservation charity, a tech charity and a people charity rolled into one. We manage the UK’s largest partnership for nature – the National Biodiversity Network – which brings together more than 200 organisations with an interest in collecting, sharing and using biodiversity data. Our partners include national and local environmental charities, the statutory nature conservation bodies from the four nations of the UK, Local Environmental Records Centres, recording groups, universities, and ecological businesses. Working together, we create a vast flow of data carrying the evidence needed to protect and restore biodiversity, and the stories to inspire wonder and commitment.
At the heart of this flow is the NBN Atlas, our data portal. The NBN Atlas is the UK’s largest repository of publicly available biodiversity data, bringing together data from 169 partners. With more than 200 million records of 50,000 UK species, the NBN Atlas is a vital resource for those who wish to understand and protect nature.
Remarkably, most of the UK’s wildlife records are collected by volunteers. Sustaining and growing this volunteer community is essential to the continuing flow of new data into the future. We manage iNaturalistUK, one of the foremost digital recording tools, and support the 93,000 people who use it to record their observations of UK wildlife.
The NBN Trust's strategic ambitions and objectives are presented in our 2022-27 Strategy, 'Making data work for nature'.
The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity's governing documents, the Companies Act 2006 and “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016).
The NBN Trust is the UK charity dedicated to biodiversity data. Our vision is of nature thriving everywhere, in all its diversity. We passionately believe that, together, we can reverse the biodiversity crisis. Our sights are set on a future in which the natural world has bounced back to health. In which nature is sharing with us its many gifts – from clean air and water to food and flood-prevention. And in which wildlife is bringing joy, hope and inspiration to our daily lives.
The Trust's mission is "making data work for nature". We provide vital evidence for nature's recovery, and we build partnerships to meet the needs of those who require biodiversity data – for policies, planning, research, conservation, and to connect people and communities with nature. We provide a crucial service for the conservation and research communities, as well as improving public access to biodiversity data.
Examples of our progress against our four strategic ambitions, during the reporting period, are set out below. A more detailed review of our activity and achievements can be found in our Annual Impact Report 2022-23
1. The NBN Atlas is the ‘go to’ place for sharing, finding and accessing UK biodiversity data
The NBN Atlas, which was launched in 2017, is the UK’s biodiversity data repository, providing public access to a vast data resource for research and conservation. After five years of service, the platform needed a major upgrade to pave the way for new functionality and better performance. The NBN Atlas Fit for the Future project began in February 2022, with the first of three phases – including reviewing the NBN Atlas architecture and preparing the core code for upgrade – completed in October 2022. The second phase, which involves upgrading each of the functional components of the NBN Atlas to the latest versions, progressed well. At the end of the reporting period, the project was on schedule and five of the 20 components had been upgraded and made live. The project is expected to conclude in 2024.
Throughout the upgrade, the NBN Atlas remained fully functional, and we continued to support our data partners to share as much data as possible via the NBN Atlas. We also engaged with potential new data providers, helping them to understand the benefits and impact of sharing their data, and addressing any barriers. For example, we worked with NatureMetrics to examine how to share environmental DNA (eDNA) data, which is rapidly growing as a source of species records.
We made significant progress in 2022/23 working with new and existing data partners to mobilise their data and make it publicly accessible. We were delighted to bring onboard five new data partners – Bournemouth University, Harrow Nature Conservation Forum, iSpot, the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme and the Tweed Forum – bringing the total to 169. Thanks to the ongoing commitment of our data partners, we uploaded over 200 new or updated datasets over the last year. One particular highlight is that the digitisation of the Manx National Heritage dataset was completed: Calf of Man (Isle of Man) Bird Observatory Daily Logs, 1959-2004
2. Biodiversity data is providing the evidence needed for nature’s recovery.
The reason that we aggregate and share data via the NBN Atlas is to make it as findable and accessible as possible, as a key source of evidence for decisions and research about nature.
In 2022-23, we launched the Better Biodiversity Data Project, with funding from NatureScot and the Scottish Government. This major two-year project, delivered in partnership with the Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum, will play a vital role in providing the data needed to achieve the commitments set out in the new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045. The project will bring together Scotland’s Local Environmental Records Centres and Recording Groups into a data consortium and create a new, shared database to improve data flows and security.
Working with Natural England and the Environment Agency, we started looking at how we can improve the searching and reporting of species that are protected under various legal and voluntary designations. This work will support the provision of data for the development of England’s Local Nature Recovery Strategies and other key conservation initiatives.
3. Citizen science is valued, supported and expanded as a major source of biodiversity data.
The NBN Trust is the lead organisation for iNaturalistUK, the UK platform of the global nature recording website and app. Launched in 2021, iNaturalistUK is an easy-to-use platform which is playing a key role in growing public engagement in wildlife recording. In 2022-23, we achieved significant increases in the number of people using the platform and the volume of species data collected. More than one million new records were made (a 45% increase), and the number of species recorded rose by 1,835 (11%). Almost 19,000 people joined the iNaturalistUK community in 2022-23, bringing the total number of UK users to over 93,000.
In support of our community of iNaturalistUK users, we held three dedicated meetings to give users the opportunity to talk about their projects and to hear the latest news and developments coming from the global iNaturalist platform.
We were delighted to become a partner in a major project funded by the Department for Education and led by the Natural History Museum, the Royal Horticultural Society and the Royal Society. The National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards project aims to make sure that every young person in England has the opportunity to develop a meaningful connection with nature. Our role includes supporting the use of iNaturalistUK in schools and ensuring that the resultant data is publicly accessible via the NBN Atlas.
The 2022 NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording celebrated the achievements of ten individuals and groups of people who are making outstanding contributions to wildlife recording and data sharing, which is helping to improve our understanding of the UK’s biodiversity.
4. The National Biodiversity Network is a well-connected and highly collaborative community with a united voice on key issues.
The NBN Trust Strategy 2022-2027, entitled “Making data work for nature”, was published in May 2022. This sets out our ambitions and our commitment to helping reverse the biodiversity crisis in the UK. A key component of this is our partnership of more than 200 organisations that we connect through the National Biodiversity Network.
Our 2022 NBN Conference was the first face-to-face conference since the pandemic and was held at the Natural History Museum in London. It was attended by more than 150 delegates from across the NBN and received very favourable feedback. The Sir John Burnett Memorial Lecture was presented by Richard Benwell, Chief Executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link on the subject of ‘Targets, trends and trajectories: can Defra halt the decline of nature?’.
Key stakeholder groups with which we wish to increase our engagement include Local Environmental Records Centres, ecological consultancies, higher education and academic research. We made progress in each of these areas in 2022-23, including regular meetings with the Association of Local Environmental Records Centres, a joint project with the Environment Agency to connect with consultancies, and participation in the RENEW project led by the University of Exeter and the National Trust. We also commenced an exciting collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute, in partnership with Natural England. The project culminated in a week-long ‘deep dive’ into data challenges associated with the NBN Atlas.
We are increasingly being contacted by private companies that are developing digital tools to support Biodiversity Net Gain, biodiversity credits and corporate Environmental, Social and Governance targets. We are interested in engaging more in this area, to help ensure that the tools are based on the best and most complete evidence, that they comply fully with data licence conditions, and that they deliver real benefits for nature.
Our commitment to sustainability.
In our 2022-27 Strategy, we make commitments to financial, social, and environmental sustainability. These commitments underpin our strategy and we believe are essential to its successful delivery.
Financial
We can only achieve our ambitions if the NBN Trust is financially secure and able to grow. In 2022-23 we produced a Medium-Term Financial Strategy which sets out the key income streams that we will seek to sustain, develop and grow over the course of the Strategy. To achieve this we will need to demonstrate our value and create new products and services for our beneficiaries and stakeholders.
We have achieved multiple fundraising successes in the past year including the following grants. Most of these are for projects that started in 2022-23 and continue into 2023-24 or beyond.
£580,000 from the Scottish Government and NatureScot to deliver the Better Biodiversity Data Project.
£30,000 from Natural England and £3,636 from the Environment Agency towards the first phase of work on key NBN Atlas enhancements.
£33,600 from Natural England as a contribution to a collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute.
£30,000, together with training, mentoring and peer support, from the Enterprise
Development Programme, for business development activities focused on the creation of bespoke data portals.
£20,000 from Groundwork’s New to Nature programme to support a 12-month NBN Atlas Support Officer post. The programme aims to attract candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in nature conservation.
£22,000 from NatureScot to cover interim costs whilst preparing for the launch of the Better Biodiversity Data Project.
£50,000 grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation, which will be carried forward into 2023-24 as a contribution to core costs.
We also won our first government contract as part of a major consortium that bid for the Department for Education’s National Education Nature Park project (see above). We also won our first government contract as part of a major consortium that bid for the Department for Education’s National Education Nature Park project (see above). Our contribution to the project is valued at £51,300.
This is extremely positive, and we are delighted with these successes. However, strengthening the Trust’s long-term financial sustainability remains a key priority. Fundraising needs to be continuous to provide sustained income, and we are considering ways to increase capacity in this area. Managing multiple projects inevitably places a strain on core activities, so we also need to build our core capacity. Unrestricted grants, membership income and commercial revenues will be essential to achieving this.
As our fundraising activity grows, it is important that we have appropriate policies and procedures in place to support strong governance. In 2022-23, we mistakenly misallocated a grant due to insufficiently robust procedures. We took immediate action, resolved the situation with the donor, and developed a programme of remedial measures. We also reported voluntarily to the Charity Commission, and we intend to provide further assurance to the donor and the Charity Commission about the improvements we are making.
Social
We maintain a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing, and it is a regular topic of conversation within the team. We now have an Employee Assistance Programme in place and two staff are qualified Mental Health First Aiders.
In 2022-23 we updated several HR policies to better reflect our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. We also overhauled our recruitment processes to make them more accessible.
We signed up to Wildlife and Countryside Link’s Diversity and anti-racism statement, and committed to the Route map towards greater ethnic diversity within the environment sector.
Environmental
We are committed to minimising our environmental impact and working towards Net Zero for carbon. Progress in 2022-23 involved research and gathering resources and contacts that will help us to audit our environmental footprint.
Public benefit
We have had regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.
The role of volunteers
The Trust benefits enormously from the support of its Trustees, who are unpaid volunteers.
The National Biodiversity Network places great value in volunteers. The majority of wildlife recorders are volunteers who collect and share their data on the basis of goodwill and for the common cause. Sincere thanks are given to them for their time and contribution towards the Network.
Please refer to the "Objectives and activities” section above for details of the Trust's main achievements. Further detail is provided in our Annual Impact Report 2022-23.
We are enormously grateful to our members, donors and funders for the support that they provide in enabling us to make data work for nature. In 2022-23, the Trust received £264,969 in unrestricted funds in the form of grants, membership subscriptions, donations and NBN Conference ticket sales.
Membership subscriptions and donations amounted to £127,997 for the year, making an important contribution to achieving our mission.
Unrestricted funds of £88,000 were received from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation in the period, for the final year of a major project to build the Trust’s resilience and sustainability. £8,000 of this was an additional, unbudgeted contribution to assist with cost-of-living increases.
The Trust's net expenditure was lower than incoming resources, resulting in a positive in-year balance of £64,533. The Trust's total fund balance at 31 March 2023 was £222,433 which will be carried forward into 2023-24.
The Trust is forecasting a balanced year-end position for 2023-24. We will continue to take forward the Medium-Term Financial Strategy to secure additional income across restricted and unrestricted funding sources. As such, the Board of Trustees has a reasonable level of confidence that the income target will be met. Should income fall short of the target, the Trust will adjust expenditure accordingly.
Trust reserves
The unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets ('the free reserve') held by the charity at 31 March 2023 amount to £161,791.
Annually, the Finance and Management Committee (FMC, a committee of the Board) reviews the free reserve figure and the amount required to meet the reserve policy (set at three months' running costs) to ensure that adequate reserves are maintained.
As at August 2023, the amount required to run the Trust for three months is £160,350 resulting in a very small surplus of £1,441.
Risk management
A Risk Register is maintained to facilitate the management of all significant risks to the Trust, including those pertaining to Finance, Technology, Staffing, and Stakeholders. The Risk Register tracks changes in the risk level for each risk and documents mitigation.
The Finance and Management Committee reviews the Risk Register on a quarterly basis and ensures that the Trust has systems designed to manage all risks. The Risk Register is also presented to the Board twice a year, and the Finance and Management Committee may escalate risks to the Board at any time, as needed.
The main internal financial risks are minimised through the consistent application of procedures for financial delegation and appropriate authorisation of all transactions.
Plans for future periods
A work plan is in place for 2023-2024 setting out the priority activities for the year.
Going concern
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity will have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
The Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 3 April 2000 and registered as a charity on 25 August 2000. The company was set up under a Memorandum of Association, which established its objectives and powers, and is governed under its Articles of Association (updated November 2018). As set out in the Articles of Association, the charitable Object (purpose) of the NBN Trust is:
To advance, formally and informally, public participation in and public understanding and enjoyment of the conservation of biological resources, together with their sustainable and wise use, by providing public access to biological records, data or information pertaining to the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
The Trust has power to do anything which is calculated to further its Object or is conducive or incidental to doing so. For example, the Trust has power to undertake the following activities (selected articles only, for the full list please refer to the Articles of Association):
To facilitate, promote and co-ordinate the collection, compilation, collation, interpretation, pooling and dissemination of biological records;
To promote and facilitate the survey and study of biodiversity through biological recording and both disseminate and promote the dissemination of the results of such study and research;
Through the provision of services, advice, guidance or other means, develop understanding of how biological data and information can be used to aid decisions taken by others consistent with the Object.
The terms of reference for the Board of Trustees are laid out in the Trust's Rules and Standing Orders. The Board meets at least four times a year to monitor the Trust's performance, agree the strategy and take decisions regarding governance issues and significant strategic matters.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Trustees are appointed via open application and a competency-based selection process. Trustees may serve a three-year term, with the potential for a further three years at the discretion of the Board.
The AGM is held at the annual NBN Conference in November.
The Finance and Management Committee (FMC) is a permanent sub-committee of the Board and is chaired by the Treasurer of the Trust. The terms of reference for the FMC were reviewed and agreed at the Board of Trustee meeting in February 2023. The FMC meets four times a year, in advance of the Board meetings, to monitor the Trust's financial and business progress, and review risk management. Other ad hoc sub-committees may be convened as needed, on a 'task and finish' basis, to ensure adequate oversight of significant matters.
The Chief Executive Officer is appointed by the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the daily operation of the Trust, including (but not restricted to) the development and implementation of strategic and operational plans, financial and team management, stakeholder relations, advocacy and fundraising,
An internal governance review was undertaken in 2023. The review found that governance is effective across all areas. A set of actions and improvements was developed, which are being taken forward in 2023-2024 and includes items such as appointing a trustee as a board contact for staff members.
Several current Trustees are due to reach the end of their second three-year term in March 2024. To ensure continuity and retain the skills that we require on the Board, recruitment of new Trustees commenced in 2023.
Arrangements for setting pay and remuneration of key management personnel
All Trustees give their time freely and have not received remuneration for time devoted to Trust business in the year. Remuneration of Trustee expenses is detailed within the financial accounts.
Where staff pay increases exceed the Chief Executive Officer delegated authority financial limits, these are presented to the Board of Trustees for approval within the annual budget.
One employee received total remuneration exceeding £60,000 in 2022-23.
Relationships with related parties and any other charities and organisations
All Trustees and senior members of staff such as the Chief Executive Officer and the Finance and Business Manager annually update the Declaration of Interest form to notify the Trust of any relationships with related parties.
Donated Services and Facilities
To calculate donated services, the main consideration was whether the Trust would have paid for the work or services had it not been carried out by another party. Based on these criteria, donated services during 2022-23 were valued at £13,131. This includes £1,000 for room hire, £8,000 for NatureScot to carry out penetration testing on the NBN Atlas, £1,131 for pro bono legal and technological advice and £3,000 for use of the Flett Theatre for the NBN Conference.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of National Biodiversity Network Trust (the charity) for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of National Biodiversity Network Trust (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2023.
As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
National Biodiversity Network Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 27 Old Gloucester Street, Holborn, London, WC1N 3AX.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
All income is included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income, any performance related conditions attached have been met or are fully within the control of the charity, the income is considered probable and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:
Donations and legacy income is received by way of donations, grants and gifts and is included in full in the statement of financial activities when receivable. Grants, where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant.
Donated services and facilities are included at the value to the charity, being the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market.
Investment income is included when receivable.
Income from grants, where related to performance and specific deliverables, are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates:
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories of the sofa on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned on an appropriate basis, as set out in the notes to the accounts.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the charity. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act
1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these applied to its charitable objects.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Pension costs
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charitable company. The annual contributions payable are charged to the statement of financial activities.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grants receivable
Subscriptions
Donated services and facilities
Conference income
Donated services and facilities
Project costs
Website development
NBN Atlas Project
Premises
Insurance
Travelling expenses
Legal & professional
Communications & IT
Postage, printing & stationery
Meeting & conference costs
Finance costs
Accountancy
Examiners fees
Trustees expenses
Board meeting expenses
Governance costs includes payments to the examiners of £2,250 (2022- £2,100) for examination fees.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration from the charity during the year.
During the year, expenses totalling £1,020 were reimbursed to five trustees (2022: £1,155 five trustees).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Pension contriubtions in relation to higher paid staff totalled £3,750.
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxationof Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
To calculate donated services, the main consideration was whether the Trust would have paid for the work or services had it not been carried out by another party. Based on these criteria, donated services during 2022-23 totalled £13,131. This includes room hire in relation to Board of Trustee meetings and the NBN conference, pro bono advice received and also includes £8,000 for NatureScot to carry out Penetration Testing on the NBN Atlas.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £16,931 (2022: £14,798).
NBN Atlas Project
These figures relate to contributions from the respective countries to the annual running costs of the NBN Atlas (see expanded list on page 15).
Better Biodiversity Data Project
We have secured funding from the Scottish Government and NatureScot to deliver the Better Biodiversity Data proejct. This two year project, which is a partnership with the Local Environmental Records Centres and the Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum will safeguard and enhance access to Scotland's biodiversity data. The project will develop a shared biodiversity data management system, consistent data-flows and a consortium to deliver income-generating data services.
Enterprise Development Programme
The 12-month Enterprise Development Programme grant started in November 2022 and is providing £30,000 of funding, plus staff training / coaching and business development advice, to develop a business in bespoke portals.
New to Nature Project
This 12-month project which started on 17 April 2023 is funded by Groundwork UK. The focus of this project is to attract diverse talent from communities which are currently under represented in environmental roles. This is achieved by encouraging young people who are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, are disabled or who are economically disadvantaged. This funding provides 90% of the salary of an NBN Atlas Support Officer.
The majority of this activity will take place during 2023-24, however there was a small cost to the Trust for the recruitment of this role in 2022-23.
Turing Project
This project is a collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute and is funded by Natural England. The project explores new ways to measure and visualise the impact of sharing data via the NBN Atlas.
The main activity is a Data Study Group: an intensive, facilitated five-day workshop at the Alan Turing Institute's premises in London, where a group of PhD students will tackle our impact challenge. Preparatory work was undertaken in 2022-23, with the Data Study Group and final report delivered in May 2023.
National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards
We were delighted to be part of the winning consortium for a contract with the Department for Education to deliver the National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards. Led by the Natural History Museum and the Royal Horticultural Society, the project aims to make sure every young person in England has opportunities to develop a meaningful connection to nature, understands the concepts of climate change and biodiversity loss, and feels able to do something about it. The NBN Trust’s role in the project includes developing resources to help schools utilise iNaturalistUK, and ensuring that species data collected by schools can be shared via the NBN Atlas. The project started in late 2022 and runs through to 2025.
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
Lease payments recognised as an expense during the year amounted to £6,000 (2021: £6,000).
During the year ended 31 March 2023, grant funding of £50,000 was received from Garfield Weston Foundation. The grant application made was for core funding, however the actual funding awarded was a contribution towards the ‘Better Biodiversity Data Project’. Consequently, the funding has been allocated as restricted. After the year end Garfield Weston have agreed that this can be treated as unrestricted funds and will therefore, be transferred to unrestricted funds in the next financial year.
The remuneration of key management personnel is as follows.
The Trustees believe there is no controlling party of the charitable company.
BioD Services Limited is a 100% subsidiary of National Biodiversity Network Trust. It is a company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales, company number 04178674.
During the year, company expenses were paid by BioD Services Limited amounting to £nil (2022: £nil). As at 31 March 2023 a balance of £4 (2022: £4) remained outstanding to BioD Services Limited and is included within other creditors.
National Biodiversity Network Trust is a company limited by guarantee and accordingly does not have a share capital. There were 10 members of the company at the year end (2022: 10 members). Every member promises, if the charitable company is dissolved while he or she remains a member or within 12 months afterwards, to pay up to £10 towards the cost of dissolution and the liabilities incurred by the Charity while the contributor was a member.
These financial statements are separate charity financial statements for National Biodiversity Network Trust.
Details of the charity's subsidiaries at 31 March 2023 are as follows:
BioD Services Limited is a dormant company.
The NBN Trust is the agent for the Recorder 6 consortium.
During the year income totalling £10,467 (2022: £11,250) was received in respect of software licences and expenditure totalling £48 (2022: £2,886) has been incurred.
At 31 March 2023 the balance owing to the Recorder 6 consortium was £39,872 (2022: £29,453).
The charity had no debt during the year.