Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

What Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland does

The Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI), founded in 1836 as the Botanical Society of London, is a registered charity in England and Wales (1152954) and Scotland (SC038675) operating as a membership organisation for the study, recording and conservation of the flora of Britain and Ireland. The society serves amateur botanists, academic researchers, professional ecologists, conservation organisations, government agencies and land managers through a community-led model anchored on a 4,700+ member base and a 200+ strong network of volunteer Vice-County Recorders covering every county of Britain and Ireland.

At the core of its offering is the Distribution Database (DDb), the largest botanical record database of its kind, holding over 56 million records and more than 300 million data points collected since formal recording began in 1930. Surrounding products include the BSBI Recording App (mobile field submission), the Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) assessment (Levels 1-6), the Botanical Skills Ladder self-assessment tool, the Identiplant beginners' course, the peer-reviewed British & Irish Botany open-access journal (a wholly-owned publishing subsidiary), the tri-annual BSBI News magazine, the BSBI Handbook series (e.g., the newly released 2nd edition Whitebeams, Rowans and Service Trees eBook at £10), Atlases such as Plant Atlas 2020, and engagement activities including the New Year Plant Hunt, Botanical Photographer of the Year and the National Plant Monitoring Scheme.

Revenue is generated across four streams: recurring individual membership subscriptions (with a new monthly payment option), one-off publication sales (eBooks, handbooks, atlases), transactional event and training fees (Identiplant, FISC, workshops), and grants and donations. Grant programmes include Training Grants (up to £250), Plant Study Grants (up to £1,000), Science and Research Grants (up to £1,000), Trial FISC Grants (up to £175) and Publication Grants (up to £2,000). The society is GDPR-compliant across UK, EU, Isle of Man and Channel Islands jurisdictions, registered with the Fundraising Regulator and ICO, and is governed by a Board of Trustees under CEO Julia Hanmer.

Name

Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

Legal name

Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland

Website

https://bsbi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1836

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BSBI is a 1836-founded UK and Ireland registered charity that runs the largest botanical record database of the region (56M+ records), training and assessment programmes (Identiplant, FISC), and publications serving amateur botanists, academics, ecologists, conservation bodies and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual and monthly membership fees providing access to membership benefits, publications including BSBI News magazine, and the botanical community.
2. Publication sales: Sales of eBooks, handbooks, atlases, floras and other botanical publications including the Whitebeams, Rowans and Service Trees eBook at £10.
3. Event and training fees: Fees for field meetings, workshops, webinars, and training courses including Identiplant and FISC assessments.
4. Grants and donations: Grant funding for training, study and research programs; donations from supporters. Registered charity in England and Wales (1152954) and Scotland (SC038675).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BSBI is a membership-based charitable society that maintains the largest database of botanical records in Britain and Ireland (over 56 million records, 300+ million data points) and delivers plant identification training, certification, scientific publications, and a national recorder network. It offers the Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) assessment, training courses such as Identiplant, BSBI Handbooks and Atlases, the open access British & Irish Botany journal, and grants supporting botanical study, research, training, and publications.

Product overview

The Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland operates a comprehensive platform for botanical recording, education, and conservation. At its core is the Distribution Database containing over 56 million botanical records. The society offers the Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) assessment programme for skill validation, supported by the Botanical Skills Ladder self-assessment tool. Educational offerings include the Identiplant course for beginners, the Plants are Green course on plant biology, and a Fern Identification course. The society publishes BSBI News (tri-annual membership magazine), British & Irish Botany (Open Access scientific journal), BSBI Handbooks for difficult plant groups, eBooks, and Atlases. Financial support is provided through Training, Plant Study, Science & Research, and Publication Grants. Engagement activities include the New Year Plant Hunt, National Plant Monitoring Scheme, Plant Alert, Irish Grasslands Project, Botanical Photographer of the Year competition, and the 100 Plants Challenge for beginners. Recording is facilitated through the BSBI Recording App and the Distribution Database.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BSBI Membership Annual and monthly membership subscription providing access to BSBI News magazine, member benefits, the botanical community, events, training discounts, and resources. Priced as 'the price of a cup of coffee (or less!)' for the monthly option.
• Distribution Database (DDb) The authoritative database of botanical records in Britain and Ireland, holding over 56 million records with more than 300 million data points. Provides scientific analysis of plant distribution for research, conservation, and policy use.
• BSBI Recording App Mobile application enabling botanists to submit plant records directly to BSBI's Distribution Database from the field.
• Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) A one-day assessment of real-life botanical skills from Level 1 (Beginner) to Level 6 (Professional), including lab identification of 30 fresh specimens and a field survey species list. Used by amateur botanists, professional ecologists, and consultancies for skill validation.
• Botanical Skills Ladder A self-assessment tool categorising botanical skills into seven levels from Basic ID Skills to Outstanding ID Skills, helping users gauge their knowledge and identify development areas.
• Identiplant Course A course for beginners in serious botany, run by BSBI and managed through the Capsella platform. Supported by Identiplant Grants of up to £250.
• Plants are Green Course A course covering how plants work, including plant biology and function, aimed at those curious about plant science.
• Fern Identification Course An online, hour-long video course for beginners getting started with fern identification.
• BSBI News The society's tri-annual membership magazine containing articles, identification tips, and botanical news, provided to members.
• British & Irish Botany The society's digital Open Access scientific journal publishing botanical research related to Britain and Ireland.
• BSBI Handbooks The leading resource for identification of difficult plant groups in Britain and Ireland, vital for serious botany.
• BSBI eBooks

Quantifiable outcome

• 56 million botanical records informing scientific research and evidence-based conservation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSBI serves as joint data controller with NPMS to support the coordination and administration of the scheme. Records from participants, landowners and land managers are processed by BSBI for plant monitoring purposes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Butterfly Conservation: UK charity combining citizen-science recording schemes, membership, grants, and volunteer-led monitoring for a specific taxonomic group. Highly comparable to BSBI's taxon-specific recorder network and grant-funded citizen-science model.
• Plantlife: UK charity dedicated to wild plants and fungi, with overlapping membership, conservation, and policy advocacy activities. Directly comparable to BSBI's plant-focused mission and similar funding/donation-driven revenue model.
• Field Studies Council: UK environmental education charity delivering identification courses, training, and publications across natural history subjects. Closely comparable to BSBI on training, course, and publication offerings aimed at amateur naturalists.
• Linnean Society of London: Oldest active biological society in the world (founded 1788), with a learned-society membership model, publications, and meetings around natural history. Comparable to BSBI as a long-established UK/IE scientific society with membership subscriptions and journals.
• British Ecological Society: UK-based learned society for ecology with membership, peer-reviewed journals, grants, and events. Comparable to BSBI in academic-leaning membership, grants, journals (e.g., British & Irish Botany), and conferences.

Broad incumbents

• Woodland Trust: Large UK conservation charity with membership subscriptions, volunteer networks, conservation grants, and publications. Comparable to BSBI in membership-driven conservation funding model and reliance on volunteer recorder-style activities.
• Royal Horticultural Society: Large UK gardening and plant science charity with membership subscriptions, publications, training, and a substantial volunteer network. Comparable to BSBI in membership, publication, and training model, but operating at much greater scale and broader horticultural remit.
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Major UK botanical institution running large-scale plant science, seed banking, and public engagement programmes. Comparable to BSBI in botanical research and conservation remit, but operating as a much larger state-funded institution with global reach.
• The Wildlife Trusts: A UK federation of 46 local wildlife trusts with a similarly large volunteer and member base focused on biodiversity, conservation, and citizen science. Comparable to BSBI as a UK membership-driven conservation organisation, though broader in scope than BSBI's botanical focus.

Emerging players

• iNaturalist (California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic): Global citizen-science platform for recording biodiversity observations including plants. Comparable to BSBI on plant recording, community engagement, and data scale, though operating as a free, global digital platform rather than a UK membership charity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/botanicalsocietyofbritainandireland
• Facebookfacebook.com/BSBI2011
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/botanical-society-of-britain-and-ireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/bsbibotany
• TikToktiktok.com/@bsbibotany
• Xx.com/BSBIbotany

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland