Tracking Mammals Partnership News

Small mammal pilot
study complete
Small mammals are the main source of food for many species of
Britain’s rarer birds and carnivores and are important indicators
of environmental change, with several species being sensitive to
changes in agricultural practices. However, accurate assessments of
the conservation status of most small mammals are not possible
because of lack of information. After successfully completing a
one-year scoping study, The Mammal Society, with
support from JNCC, commenced a two-year pilot scheme in 2006.
Around 20 expert volunteers have spent many hours in the field over
the last two years trialing a variety of methods in different
combinations, including live trapping, hair tubes and sign
identification, to develop a bi-annual, multi-species monitoring
scheme that could be carried out using a nationwide network of
volunteers. The final report of the pilot study is currently being
assessed before any decision can be made regarding the
implementation of a scheme for small mammal monitoring.
For further information, please visit The Mammal Society's
website.
Review of UK BAP priority list of species completed
The review of the UK
Biodiversity Action Plan priority list of species and habitats
was finalised in 2007. The review relied quite heavily on
monitoring data to provide evidence on the status of individual
species. As a result of the BAP review there are now 1,149 species
on the UK BAP priority list, 18 of which are mammals. This exercise
highlighte the paucity of information on habitat availability and
use by species. To deal with the problem, all BAP priority species
are being linked to BAP priority habitats to deliver future
action plans.
Conservation Status Assessments for European Protected
mammals
The reporting on conservation
status of European Protected Species under the EC Habitats
Directive is complete and the species status assessments
are now available online. All species listed on the Annexes to the
Directive, including 23 UK land mammals, have been assessed to see
if they are at Favourable Conservation Status in the UK and other
EC countries. The status assessment has involved examining
each species current range and change in range since historic
times, population size and trends, availability of suitable habitat
and prospects for the future. The data from the TMP schemes
has been used to improve information on distribution and to assess
the state of populations, and has helped the mammal assessments to
be quite detailed.
Update on TMP survey results 2008
Following the publication in 2005 of the first major
report, UK Mammals: Species Status and Population Trends, the
Tracking Mammals Partnership (TMP) has published the third annual update
(2008). This update aims to provide a summary of current trends
for all mammals covered in the TMP schemes, information on progress
with improving species coverage, and explain more about the uses of
the information collected by volunteers. The TMP is currently
reporting annual trends for 35 terrestrial mammals, 54% of our land
mammal fauna. Sixteen species, 46%, have increasing populations,
and 11 species, 31%, have stable populations. Six species, 17%, are
declining, and for two species the trends are unclear.
Unfortunately, four of the increasing species - common rat, grey
squirrel, sika deer and muntjac - are non-natives that cause
problems for our native fauna.
Publication of National Gamebag Census 2007/8
The Game and Wildlife Conservation trust has published their
latest research report Participation of the National Gamebag Census in the
Mammal Surveillance Network 2007-08 which
provides abundance and distribution data for 19 mammal species
(Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, Brown Hare Lepus
europaeus, Mountain Hare Lepus timidus, Roe Deer
Capreolus capreolus, Red Deer Cervus elaphus,
Fallow Deer Dama dama, Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi,
Sika Deer Cervus nippon, Chinese Water Deer Hydropotes
inermis, Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Hedgehog Erinaceus
europaeus, Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis, Fox
Vulpes vulpes, Feral Cat Felis catus, Weasel
Mustela nivalis, Stoat Mustela erminea, Polecat
Mustela putorius, Mink Mustela vison, Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus), based from information collected on
600 estates. At the UK level, mammal species coverage is good
except for Chinese Water Deer and Wild Boar. At the UK level, the
NGC data show significant medium-term (post-1960) increases in bag
sizes for Rabbit, Roe Deer, Red Deer, Grey Squirrel, Fox, Stoat,
Mink and Brown Rat, and significant medium-term decreases in bag
sizes for Brown Hare, Hedgehog, Feral Cat and Weasel.
Publication of The State of the UK's Bats 2006
In February 2008, The Bat Conservation Trust
published The State of the UK's Bats 2006 which is
the third summary report on species population trends from the
National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) and covers the period Jan
1997 – Feb 2007. It aims to be a quick reference guide to NBMP
trend results.
Update on TMP survey results 2007
This is the second annual
update following the first major report on UK mammals’ status
and trends, published in 2005. Eleven native species (mole, greater
horseshoe bat, lesser horseshoe bat, Natterer’s bat, Daubenton’s
bat, common pipistrelle, stoat, weasel, badger, otter and roe deer)
have increasing populations. However, five non-native species (grey
squirrel, rat, sika deer, fallow deer and muntjac) also have
increasing populations, which can pose a threat to our more
vulnerable natives, such as red squirrel and wildcat. There is bad
news for some of our native species with continued declines for
hedgehog, water vole and hazel dormouse. This update
also provide a summary of current trends for all mammals
covered in the TMP schemes, progress with increasing species
coverage and explain more about the uses of the information
collected by volunteers.
Publication of National Bat Monitoring
Programme report 2006
The Bat Conservation Trust has published National Bat Monitoring Programme report 2006
which produces statistically robust population trends for 11 of the
UK’s 17 resident bat species. Significant positive trends were
reported for greater horseshoe (Colony Count), lesser horseshoe
(Hibernation Survey & Colony Count), Daubenton’s bat (Waterway
Survey), Natterer’s bat (Hibernation Survey) and common pipistrelle
(Field Survey). The greater horseshoe and Daubenton’s bat trends
should still be treated with caution, and Significant negative
trends were reported for common pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle
(Colony Counts).. Surveys for other species showed no significant
changes.
Publication of National Gamebag Census 2006/7
The Game and Wildlife Conservation trust has published their
latest research report Participation of the National Gamebag Census in the
Mammal Surveillance Network 2006-07 which provides
abundance and distribution data for 19 mammal species (Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus, Brown Hare Lepus
europaeus, Mountain Hare Lepus timidus, Roe Deer
Capreolus capreolus, Red Deer Cervus elaphus,
Fallow Deer Dama dama, Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi,
Sika Deer Cervus nippon, Chinese Water Deer Hydropotes
inermis, Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Hedgehog Erinaceus
europaeus, Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis, Fox
Vulpes vulpes, Feral Cat Felis catus, Weasel
Mustela nivalis, Stoat Mustela erminea, Polecat
Mustela putorius, Mink Mustela vison, Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus).
Publication of The production of population trends for UK
mammals using BBS mammal data: 1995-2005
The Brtitish Trust for Ornithology has published their
latest report The production of population trends for UK
mammals using BBS mammal data: 1995-2005 update which
uses mammal data recorded by Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)
participants on their 1-km squares. Annual indices of relative
abundance are produced at a national scale for nine mammal species
– Brown Hare, Mountain/Irish Hare, Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Red Fox,
Red Deer, Fallow Deer, Roe Deer and Reeves’ Muntjac. There are six
mammal species (Badger, Mole, Hedgehog, Brown Rat, Stoat and
Weasel) for which there were insufficient count data to produce
indices of abundance, but for which evidence such as field signs,
dead animals or gamekeeper knowledge could be used to record
occurrence.
Publication of Red squirrel pilot study
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