Biodiversity is currently a popular theme, and, though this new, and all-encompassing, term is quoted widely, often little thought is given to the backbone of information upon which an understanding of it is built. Knowledge of the distribution and abundance of flora and fauna is a major component of this, and, whilst the natural history of the British Isles may not be considered particularly diverse when compared with, for example, the tropics, there can be little doubt that it is perhaps better known than that of any other comparable area in the world.
