Data for the Public

We provide a non-commercial enquiry service for species, habitats, and sites data to recording groups, members of the public, schools, colleges, students, etc. Though this service is often free of charge, we address pricing on a case-by-case basis.

All official enquiries must go through our Data Request Form, available at the link below. If you have any general data-related questions, feel free to contact our Data Manager.

Download Data Request Form (.docx, Word)

Make an enquiry to CBDC

To make an enquiry, please download and complete our Data Request form (Word document) and email the completed form to our Recording Officer. To ensure you get the information you require, please read our Guidance Notes as well as our Terms and Conditions.

To learn about our services, please see our Standard Data Searches section. If your needs aren’t covered by our standard searches, please specify your requirements in an email via the form on our Contact Page or contact our Recording Officer, directly.

Our aim is to make information about Cumbria’s natural environment used as widely as possible.  Only some of our data is available via the NBN Atlas so currently you will need to contact us directly to access the 2.8 million records we hold.

Download: Data Request form (Word Document)

Please note:

CBDC reserves the right to exercise discretion in reducing or waiving charges where there is good cause.

Enquires for large amounts of data or complex enquiries that will take more than 1 hour of CBDC time are liable for charging, unless a Data Exchange Agreement is in place.

Enquiries for conservation and land management are usually chargeable. However, to support local biodiversity conservation we give each conservation charity with nature reserves/land in Cumbria who is actively contributing records to CBDC up to three free standard single site data requests per organisation per annum.

No chargeable service will be carried out without CBDC contacting the enquirer for confirmation to proceed.

If you need clarification about your enquiry please contact one of our staff  who will contact you before proceeding with the request.

Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre

The Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle keeps wildlife information for the county of Cumbria. Tullie House Museum, in its role as a local natural history museum, has collected and disseminated records of wildlife in Cumbria since its inception in 1893. From the early 1990s the Museum has developed a computerised database of species and habitat records in Cumbria and has taken the central role in providing a local biodiversity data service for the county. This role was restyled as Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) in 2010, a not-for-profit organisation hosted by Tullie House Museum and advised by local stakeholders.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreMonday, June 15th, 2026 at 3:00am
We published our latest newsletter last week, with recent news and upcoming events highlighted. Sign up to receive future newsletters direct to your inbox (one every two months) or visit our newsletter page to read online:
https://www.cbdc.org.uk/about-us/newsletters/

Can you spot the ID error in the newsletter? We'll provide a correction in the next newsletter.....
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreSunday, June 7th, 2026 at 10:06pm
Calling all #CumbriaEcoskills participants!

Friends of the Lake District are running two hedgerow survey training events this week - anyone interested in learning how to survey hedgerows are welcome to attend:

9 June hedgerow survey training day @ Craketrees Farm (use what3words address to navigate): https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/event/hedgerow-survey-morning-9-june/

13 June hedgerow survey training day @ Rigghead Farm (use what3words address to navigate): https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/event/hedgerow-survey-morning-13-june/
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreTuesday, May 26th, 2026 at 3:43am
One place has come up on the mock Field Identification Skills Certificate session this Friday. An excellent trial run before the real thing on 29th July!

Book a place on the mock: https://www.ticketsource.com/cumbria-ecoskills/field-identification-skills-certificate-mock-test/e-zeevea

Book a place on the #CWT / #BSBI #FISC on 29th July: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/events/2026-07-29-field-identification-skills-certificate
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, May 20th, 2026 at 11:15pm
Tickets are still available for our two penultimate #Cumbria #Ecoskills sessions:
- Introduction to Bees, Friday 22nd May at Orton
- Introduction to Moths, Saturday 23rd May at Houghton, Carlisle.

So for a last chance to improve your identification skills this summer, come and join us!

https://www.ticketsource.com/cumbria-ecoskills
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreSunday, May 17th, 2026 at 10:28pm
Want to find out more about bees and how to identify them? Join us on Friday for a short course called 'Introduction to #Bees'.

This free session takes place 10am-1pm in Orton.

Book now: https://www.ticketsource.com/cumbria-ecoskills/introduction-to-bees/e-zeeoxr
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreFriday, May 15th, 2026 at 10:23pm
Love small mammals but not sure how to tell a vole from a shrew or a mouse?

Join our short course 'Introduction to Small #Mammals' tomorrow.

Free session, 10am-3pm. Last few places remaining!

https://www.ticketsource.com/cumbria-ecoskills/introduction-to-small-mammals/e-qmmdve