Wildlife wipeout

1 in 5 British mammal species at risk of extinction in next 10 years

AT least one in five British mammals are at ‘high risk’ of being wiped out by disease and habitat loss in the next decade, a study has found.

Red squirrels, wildcats and greater mouse-eared bat are among the species that face severe threats to their survival, the first major review of British mammals for more than 20 years revealed.

The study of 58 native, ‘ naturalised’, introduced and reintroduced species showed that populations of nine species, including hedgehogs, water voles, hazel dormice and even rabbits, have declined in the past 20 years.

Hedgehog numbers have fallen by twothirds since the previous estimate in 1995, while red squirrels have also suffered steep declines.

There are now estimated to be just 522,000 hedgehogs in the UK, and 287,000 red squirrels, compared to 2.7million grey squirrels which have taken over many of their habitats. Water vole populations are down to 132,000 – around a tenth of what they were in the 1990s.

There is better news for some species, with the otter population rebounding up to around 11,000. Pine martens, polecats and badgers are also recovering.

Beavers and wild boar have returned to British shores since the last time such a study was completed. But even some of the species doing better since the 1990s are listed as being at risk of extinction.

Fiona Mathews, president of the British Mammal Society, which led the study, said: ‘It’s probably worse than one in five, it could be as bad as one in three species at risk of extinction.’

Researchers examined 1.5million records of mammals across Britain and estimated how populations had changed since previ-

‘Urgent action is needed’’

ous studies in the 1990s. Using internationally agreed criteria to assess their risk of extinction, the study, commissioned by government agency Natural England, found that 12 out of 58 were at risk, although a lack of data means the true figure is likely to be higher.

The 12 are wildcats, greater mouseeared bats and black rats, which are all critically endangered, the highest threat category; red squirrels, beavers, water voles and grey long-eared bats, which are endangered; and hedgehogs, hazel dormice, Orkney voles, serotine bats and barbastelle bats, which are vulnerable.

Threats to mammals include loss of habitat such as ancient woodland, invasive species that prey on them or compete for food, and diseases introduced by humans or other animals. Nathusius’ pipistrelle bats, which migrate across Europe, are at risk of collisions with wind turbines, while there are concerns about the impact of hunting on mountain hares.

Professor Mathews said Britain needed to think about fixes that work, rather than wasting money on things such as road crossings for mammals that are ineffective. ‘Most wild animals move over a wide distance and we need to make sure we have connective landscapes – places throughout Britain where animals have a home,’ she said.

Tony Juniper, of the World Wide Fund for Nature, said: ‘It’s hard to imagine Britain without hedgehogs or red squirrels, but this is the future we’re facing unless urgent action is taken. There is still time.’