About the event

What is it?

Delivered in partnership with BSBI https://bsbi.org ,FISC comprises a test that determines your botanical skill level on a scale from 1 (beginner) to 5 (professional) with 6 being awarded in exceptional cases. They are recognised within the ecological and botanical industry as the standard tool for assessing botanical survey skills.

Why is it important?

• Provides you with a clear benchmark from which to progress from. 
• Evidencing your competency for plant identification is increasingly important for biodiversity net gain and quality assurance.

What can I expect on the day?

There are three separate elements to a FISC, testing your identifications of vascular plants (so no bryophytes or algae):

• Test 1: Lab test
  • You will be provided with 10 fresh specimens that you will need to identify without using any books or keys.
• Test 2: Lab test:
  • You will be provided with 20 fresh specimens that may be identified using any books or keys, but no reference collections or on-line resources may be used.
• Test 3:
  • You will have approximately 2 hours in the field recording vascular plant species.  Your species list will be compared with that of the Gold Standard Surveyor, a FISC Level 5 botanist, who will be surveying alongside you.

What is the outcome?

• Your provisional FISC score (which is calculated from 4 separate scores generated via the three tests) will be sent to you within 8 weeks of your FISC. All provisional scores will be ratified or moderated by the BSBI FISC QA panel at the end of the year and your electronic FISC certificate, showing your final FISC level, will be sent out by BSBI in December.

Important information

• Please arrive for a 10am start
• Parking is available at the bottom of the hill.  If you require parking at the top of the hill, please contact me prior to the event on adult.learning@surreywt.org.uk so we can confirm this is possible.  Disabled access is available at the test centre however you must be able to move around the field site independently.
• Transport from the test centre to the field test site is not included; car sharing will be encouraged if limited parking is available.
• You must bring your own lunch, however tea and coffee will be provided.  Bring your own drinks for the field test.
• Generally the morning will be spent doing the lab tests, and the afternoon will be the field test, however this is weather dependent. 
• You must bring:
  • A hand lens
  • ID guides (e.g. Stace: New Flora of the British Isles, and a picture guide such as Collins Wildflower Guide)
  • Suitable clothing and footwear for outdoors, including walking boots and waterproofs
  • Weather writer/Clipboard, pens.
  • Writing implements
  • Phones will not be allowed during the tests; we recommend you bring a watch.

Data Management

Due to the requirement for both parties to receive and process data to achieve the successful coordination and delivery of FISC, and the purposes and means of processing having been jointly established through an agreement, SWT Ecology Services and BSBI resolve to act as Joint Data Controllers for the period of this Agreement for information relating to FISC Assessors, Gold Standard Surveyors and FISC candidates associated with SWT Ecology Services.

Both parties undertake to comply with the data protection principles listed in Chapter 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018. In respect of Sections 93 and 94 of the Data Protection Act 2018, BSBI will establish and provide information to data subjects directly through its provision of the BSBI website (BSBI.org) and its privacy policy. BSBI will remain the central point of contact for data subjects, although individuals will remain able to exercise their rights under the Act with both parties.

Where SWT Ecology Services is granted the right to hold and process data for purposes outside the FISC assessment by an individual data subject (for example, to contact candidates about additional activities being run through SWT Ecology Services or Surrey Wildlife Trust) they will assume a singular Data Controller role for the onward use of this data.  In such instances, our data policy, listed on our website, will apply.

General

• For more information on Field Identification Skills Certificates, what is involved and answers to lots of questions please see the BSBI FISC handbook on the BSBI FISC website https://bsbi.org/field-skills in the find out more section