Fungi lists and Data Protection

The Cotswold Fungus Group is registered under the Data Protection Act and all information on members postal and email addresses is held in a secure database and is not circulated to any other organisation.  Member's names (as in the format of, for example “A.J. Smith”) are listed against the foray records as the collector or identifier of the fungus find.  This is only transmitted to either Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust or Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, and the British Mycological Society which keeps a copy of the group foray finds and records.

Eventually foray data will be accessible on the internet, through open access to the BMS’s database or through the National Biodiversity Network.  If any individual members object to this form of data retention, please and we will arrange for the data for the year in question to be altered before onward transmission.

The Intellectual Property rights for Cotswold Fungus Group's fungus foray data is held by Dave Shorten, who compiles the foray data for group forays.  All rights of the individual collector / identifier are ceded automatically to him when the foray lists are compiled.  Anyone attending a foray who objects to this should notify the foray leader at the beginning of each foray, and the record of anything they collect will be marked to the foray leader or as ‘anonymous’.

Electronic copies of relevant sections of the group’s electronic database of records can be made available on request to members (e.g. on any specific fungus species or genus for anyone interested in study, or a particular woodland location if they want a tick-off list to use on their own walks)