Wildlife wipeout
1 in 5 Scots mammal species at risk of extinction in next 10 years
THEY are some of Scotland’s most iconic species – but a report warns creatures such as the wildcat, red squirrel and polecat are at a ‘high risk’ of becoming extinct.
More than one in five mammal species north of the Border face being wiped out, according to the first comprehensive review of their populations for more than 20 years.
The threat is revealed in the Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals, published today.
Commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural England and Natural Resources Wales, it highlights climate change, loss of habitat, use of pesticides and road deaths among the threats.
The Mammal Society assessed the current status, historical and recent population trends, threats, and future prospects of all of Britain’s 58 terrestrial mammals, 41 of which can be found in Scotland.
While nearly one in five native or naturalised mammals in Britain faced a risk of extinction, the figure is even higher in Scotland where nine of the 41 resident mammals (22 per cent) are classed as critical, endangered or vulnerable.
They include the naturalised black rat, recently expelled from the Shiant Isles in the Outer Hebrides because of its damaging effect on the breeding success of seabirds.
Other species including the otter, Nathusius’ pipistrelle bat and Orkney vole – introduced to the Orkneys in Neolithic times – are classed as vulnerable in Scotland.
The report also highlights the plight of the hedgehog and water vole, which have seen their populations decline by up to 66 per cent over the past 20 years.
Lead author Prof Fiona Mathews, chairman of the Mammal Society and profes-
‘Urgent action is needed’’
sor of Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex, said: ‘This is happening on our own doorstep so it falls upon all of us to try to do what we can to ensure that our threatened species do not go the way of the lynx, wolf and elk and disappear from our shores forever.
‘In Scotland, species like the wildcat are critical but there are also species like the rabbit, which has suffered a significant decline.
‘Even with a species like the otter, which has a stronghold in Scotland, the evidence we have suggests there has been a decline. The message is that we can’t rest on our laurels with any of these species.’
The society is now calling for more research to be carried out urgently to get a clearer and more accurate picture of Britain’s mammal populations. It says that for many species, including common animals such as rabbits and moles, very little information is available.
Scottish Wildlife Trust director of conservation Susan Davies said: ‘Scotland would be a very different place without charismatic mammals such as red squirrels and hedgehogs. We owe it to future generations to work to ensure their survival.
‘It is clear from this report that some mammals, including the Scottish wildcat and water vole, still need urgent help to survive, and that we still lack enough information about many mammals to be able to be certain about their conservation status.’