The BSBI is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Its overall governance is overseen by a Board of Trustees, which was supported until 2020 by an advisory Council; this was disbanded following the adoption of the BSBI Strategy 2021-24 and the introduction of the Governance Plan.
BSBI also has a variety of committees who oversee activity on a specific topic, or for a particular area. BSBI members sit on the committees (see lists below) and we are very grateful for their volunteer contribution. Various staff members also attend these meetings to support committee activities and/or to help with administration. Find out about how to join a committee or become a trustee.
The BSBI Strategy 2021-24 is available to view in full; all other material to support BSBI governance is stored in our separate password-protected Governance website which is accessible to all BSBI members, so they can view minutes of all meetings of BSBI country and standing committees and the Board of Trustees.
Members should head over to our members-only area (password required) for access details. If you have forgotten your password, please email us at enquiries@bsbi.org
Non-members can see our full accounts here, minutes from our Annual General Meeting here and can join BSBI here.

Good governance: click on the links to view or download BSBI policies:
Safeguarding Policy - Adults,
Safeguarding Policy - Children and Young People,
Privacy Policy,
Data Handling Policy
Ethical Position Statement
Expenses Policy
Health & Safety Policy & Procedures Manual
Board of Trustees
- Christopher Miles (Chair)
- Chris Cheffings
- Helena Crouch
- Mary Dean
- Steve Gater (Hon. Gen. Sec./ Company Secretary)
- Peter Hollingsworth
- Kylie Jones
- Sandra Knapp
- Maria Long
- Barry O'Kane
- Anthony David Thomas
- Micheline Sheehy Skeffington (President) ex officio.
Events & Communications Committee
- Billy Fullwood (Chair)
- Kylie Jones (Secretary)
- Ryan Clark
- Billy Fullwood
- George Garnett
- John Norton (BSBI News Editor)
- Andrew Rowley
- Jonathan Shanklin (Hon. Field Meetings Secretary)
Science & Data Committee (formerly Records & Research)
- Robert Northridge (Chair)
- Jo Parmenter (Secretary)
- Helen Ball
- Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz
- Ian Denholm
- Richard Jefferson
- Karen Kramer-Wilson
- Martin Rand (non-voting)
- Simon Smart
- Julian Woodman.
Skills & Training Committee (formerly Training & Education)
- Sarah Dalrymple (Chair)
- Amanda Tuke (Vice-Chair)
- Faith Anstey
- Clare Coleman
- Mary Dean
- Mark Duffell
- Rebecca Farley-Brown
- Ellen Fry
- Ellen Goddard
- Alison Jukes
- Joshua Styles
Committee for England
- Jonathan Shanklin (Chair)
- Mary Dean (Field Meetings Secretary)
- Astrid Biddle
- Mark Duffell
- Martin Godfrey
- Anne Haden
- Chris Metherell
- David Morris
- Jo Parmenter
- Fred Rumsey
- Tom Ward
- Elizabeth Cooke (Plantlife representative – non-voting)
Committee for Ireland
- Robert Northridge (Chair)
- Shane Brien (Joint Secretary)
- Kim Lake (Joint Secretary)
- Mark McCorry (Field Meetings Secretary)
- Oonagh Duggan
- John Faulkner
- Alexis Fitzgerald
- Ciaran Flynn
- Jessica Hamilton
- David McNeill
- Cilian Roden
Committee for Scotland
- David Elston (Chair & Field Meetings Secretary)
- Polly Spencer-Vellacott (Hon. Secretary)
- John Crossley
- Michael Philip
- Caspian Richards
- Louise Ross
- Andrew Rowley
- Sarah Watts
- Amelia Hodnett
- Beccy Middleton
- Ellie Mayhew
- Lindsay McKinlay
Committee for Wales
- John Palmer (Chair)
- Liz Dean (Treasurer)
- Andy Jones (Field Meetings Secretary)
- Joanna Clark
- Anne Griffiths
- Chloe Griffiths
- Kevin McGinn (National Botanic Gardens Wales - non-voting)
- Kath Pryce (Minuting Secretary - non-voting)
- Richard Pryce (Welsh Bulletin Editor - non-voting)
- Gail Quartly-Bishop
- Kate Thorne (non-voting observer)
- Delyth Williams
- Julian Woodman (Natural Resources Wales representative - non-voting)
Finance Committee
- Anthony David Thomas (Chair)
- Steve Gater
- Kylie Jones
Nominations, Awards & Governance Committee
- Mary Dean
- Sandy Knapp
- Chris Miles

BSBI and GDPR: We only hold any information requested from you in order to send you the publication/ information described or to administer the event advertised. We will treat your information as confidential, hold it securely and will never pass it on to third parties. The exception is our Subscriber database which BSBI has checked for full compliance with data protection regulations. The lawful basis for processing this data is defined under GDPR regulations as contractual/ consent/ legitimate interests. You can request to see the data we hold on you at any time and we will remove you from our systems and discontinue contact at your request: just email enquiries@bsbi.org and mark your email 'Unsubscribe'.