Wildlife app helps track mammals on the move

A NEW app has been created that will allow users to record sightings of Britain’s mammals, allowing wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) to identify changes in population numbers and help conservation.

The Mammals on Roads app is for iOS9 and above, and Android 7. The free app is intended to be easy to use and boasts graphics of a wide range of British mammals, from hedgehogs and hares to badgers and bats.

There are also informative audio descriptions providing useful background information and insights into the animals’ lives.

David Wembridge, surveys officer at PTES, explained: “Data gathered from Mammals on Roads is vital to conservation work. The survey has been running for over 15 years, which allows us to compare data year on year and identify where we need to focus our conservation efforts.”

The new app is part of PTES’ Mammals on Roads survey, which takes place annually between July and September.

To take part, members of the public are asked to record sightings of Britain’s mammals – dead or alive – during car journeys of 20 miles or more on a single day, outside of built-up areas.

Mr Wembridge added: “While recording roadkill can be a little gruesome, higher levels of roadkill can actually indicate a healthy population of mammals nearby.

“We hope this new app will engage new audiences, who already have mobile technology at their fingertips, with wildlife conservation, in addition to our many fantastic volunteers who take part each year by logging sightings online or via a survey pack.”

Since 2001, more than half a million kilometres of Britain’s roads have been surveyed through Mammals on Roads, with previous data alerting conservationists at PTES to the dramatic fall in native hedgehog numbers.

These findings resulted in the launch of the nationwide campaign Hedgehog Street in 2011 with partner charity the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, which to date has 44,000 hedgehog champions pledging to help protect the species from further decline. More research is also being undertaken to investigate the reasons behind the decline.

Jamie Lemon, from tech company Dijipiji, which developed the app for iOS9 users, said: “Putting together apps and wildlife might seem counterintuitive at first, but what they give you – real-time mapping and big-data analysis – are powerful conservation tools.

“This new technology enables us to help monitor and protect our natural environment – with the right app, we can all play a critical role in conservation.”

Mammals on Roads runs from July 4 until September 30.