Make sure every sighting counts in mammals survey
CHARITY CALLS ON VOLUNTEERS TO HELP TRACK WILDLIFE POPULATIONS
LEADING wildlife conservation charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is calling for volunteers across the News & Mail area to take part in its annual Living with Mammals survey, in a bid to track changes in our wildlife.
Volunteers are needed to record sightings of any wild mammals they see each week in their gardens, local parks or other green spaces, such as allotments and churchyards.
The results enable conservationists to better understand how our environment is changing, how these changes impact wild mammal populations, which need the most help and where conservation action is required.
Any sightings of mammals or the signs left behind, such as footprints or droppings, are recorded online at ptes. org/lwm – free advice is available to help people new to wildlife surveying, with guides on how to identify species and recognise tell-tale signs. Any mammal, however commonly seen, provides useful data.
According to the charity, last year almost 800 sites across the country were surveyed throughout the year, with more than 20 species spotted including garden regulars such as foxes and grey squirrels, and well-loved species such as hedgehogs.
There were also records of rarer species too, highlighting the importance of urban areas in conservation. These included eight records of red squirrels, seen on the Isle of Wight, in Cumbria and in Dumfriesshire, Scotland; hazel dormice in the East Midlands and South West regions of England; and water voles in the South West, South East and East Midlands regions.
David Wembridge, mammal surveys co-ordinator at PTES, said: “With blossom on the trees and bats and hedgehogs emerging from hibernation, spring is a wonderful time to connect with the great outdoors and get involved in conservation.
“Taking part in Living with Mammals is a really valuable and easy way to help conservation. Every record, whether you spot anything or not, is crucial to understanding how different populations are changing year on year, and how we can protect them.
“The data from Living with Mammals contribute to major reports such as the State of Nature and the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs, and without these records we wouldn’t have such an insight into how different species are faring and how to help. Therefore it’s vital that as many people can take part as possible.”
Last year’s results also showed that sightings of rabbits have fallen markedly since Living with Mammals began in 2003. Only one-in-10 sites surveyed reported rabbits in 2023, compared with a third of sites in the first few years of the survey. This continues the ongoing decline seen over the survey’s history, with overall numbers falling by up to 50% since 2003.
Mr Wembridge added: “To see rabbit numbers decline, when we think of them more typically as abundant and multiplying, is a concern.
“Rabbits are an important part of our natural environment, maintaining grasslands and a food source for predators and birds of prey.
“We need to monitor how numbers are changing and taking part in Living with Mammals is key to that.”
The Living with Mammals survey 2024 runs from this month until the end of the year. To take part, visit ptes. org/lwm and share photos on social media using #LivingWithMammals