Tracking Mammals Partnership News

Publication of the National Bat Monitoring Programme 2008 report

This report covers the period 1997-2008 of the NBMP which aims to provide robust trends for all UK resident bat sppecies. The main monitoring techniques employed by the programme are the Field, Waterway, and Hibernation Surveys and summer maternity Colony Counts, and monitoring techniques are being developed to enhance the programme's capacity to provide trends for a greater number of species. The data is mainly collected by volunteers, 1018 in 2008. The NMBP provides trends for 11 of the UK‟s 16 breeding bat species. Detailed results can be found in the report.

Publication of the Tracking Mammals Partnership 2009 update

The Tracking Mammals Partnership has produced its latest update of UK trends for all mammals covered in the TMP schemes, provides information on progress with improving species coverage, and explains 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. Of the species that have trend information, 14 species (40%) show a statistically significant increase, 12 species (34%) are considered stable or do not show a statistically significant change and seven species (20%) show a statistically significant decline. For two species the trend is unclear. Unfortunately, four of the increasing species – common rat, grey squirrel, sika deer and Reeve’s muntjac are non-natives that cause problems for our native fauna.

Publication of a report on Mountain hare Lepus timidus in Scotland

Scottish Natural Heritage have published a report on The distribution of Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus) in Scotland (2006/07). The aim of this report was to assess the distribution of mountain hares in Scotland in 2006/07 and estimate the number of mountain hares taken for harvesting and population control purposes over the same time period. The area surveyed for mountain hares represented 90% of Scotland's total area, and Mountain hares were present on 48% of the surveyed area at the 10x10km level. The report concluded that there was no evidence that levels of take had reduced the range of mountain hares in Scotland.

Publication of the National Bat Monitoring Programme 2007 report

This report covers the period 1997-2007 of the NBMP which aims to provide robust trends for all UK resident bat sppecies. The main monitoring techniques employed by the programme are the Field, Waterway, and Hibernation Surveys and summer maternity Colony Counts, and monitoring techniques are being developed to enhance the programme's capacity to provide trends for a greater number of species. The data is mainly collected by volunteers, 970 in 2007. The NMBP provides trends for 11 of the UK‟s 16 breeding bat species. Detailed results can be found in the report.

Publication of National Gamebag Census 2008-09 mammal report

The Game and Wildlife Conservation trust has published their latest research report Participation of the National Gamebag Census in the Mammal Surveillance Network 2008-09 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).

Bats now UK Biodiversity Indicators

The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) has been exploring the potential uses of bat surveillance data in biodiversity indicators and used NBMP data to develop a composite species index “populations of widespread bats”, which was adopted as a UK Biodiversity Indicator in May 2008. Bat populations are a good indicator of the broad state of wildlife and environmental quality because they are sensitive to pressures experienced by many other taxa.

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 UK 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 UK BAP priority species are being linked to UK 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.