Time to develop a succession plan for the HRS

It is now 26 years since Stuart and I took on the role of scheme organisers for the Hoverfly Recording Scheme. We think we have made a reasonable difference and that we have given the scheme the necessary impetus to be forward-thinking and inclusive. Whilst our publications track record is a bit stuttering, we have managed to produce two provisional atlases and a species status review. We might have produced more papers, but that will hopefully be redressed in the coming months.

We are, however, only the custodians of the scheme. It is not our scheme and having made such a huge commitment we would like the scheme to live on well after us. If that is to happen we must recognise that there is a time to hand over the baton. That time is fast approaching. My health has taken a turn for the worse and both of us are itching to do things that will absorb a lot of our time and energy. We really need to start to hand over the reigns and to help to guide the scheme into a new management team. Our vision at this stage is that we should be booted up into the senior management - to be called upon for advice when needed, but not to do the day-to-day organisation and management. In other words we should become 'non-executive Directors' whilst a new team takes over the role of scheme organisers and figureheads.

We think there will need to be a transitional stage where we gradually ease out of the management chairs and let others take over; more than two people will be needed. If one looks at what is involved, there are several distinct strands:

• Providing taxonomic advice and a source of specimen identification
• Validating and digitising data
• Managing incoming datasets and cleaning them before they are absorbed into the database
• Managing the database
• Writing newsletters
• Setting the sense of direction
• Identifying issues worthy of investigation and then undertaking the analysis
• Developing the website

We have an excellent team in Ian and Joan on assistance with identification and there are several of the Facebook group who are showing considerable promise in this respect. I think biggest issue lies in the need for a pool of people to help with data extraction from the UK Hoverflies Facebook page, somebody to act as a central repository for datasets (they might be separate from the database manager), a database manager who is familiar with RECORDER and other databases and one or more analysts. We also need people who understand hoverfly ecology - Geoff and Ellie are ideal for dealing with larval stages, but perhaps we also need somebody who has a good feel for other aspects of hoverfly biology and biogeography? This is an opportunity to develop a much 'younger' team and there should be space for relative newcomers to become established.

The big question is how such a team should be organised? Do we need a formal or informal 'society'? Whilst we don't want to create a bureaucratic edifice, there is probably a need to develop a system that allows turnover of participants and recruitment of figureheads. As yet I don't have the answers, but I can pose lots of questions. The one thing I am clear about is that I cannot carry on in the role I provide - if I do so we will not find new 'leadership' and should I be unavailable the scheme would be rudderless; that would not be a good thing for one of the most dynamic and active schemes in the country.