The first major report by the Tracking Mammals Partnership (TMP), 24 organisations with an interest in mammals, provides the first complete overview of changes in the UK's mammal populations and shows that there are winners and losers among native and non-native species in the UK. The TMP is currently monitoring population change for 34 mammals (including bats), over 50% of our UK land mammal species.
UKMammals: Species Status and Population Trends, explains that ten native species have shown increases since the mid 1990s, four appear to have stable populations and three have shown declines. Otter and roe deer populations have increased by more than 50% while water voles have declined by more than 50%. For eight native species, several more years of data are needed before it is possible to assess population change reliably. Six non-natives have increasing populations, two show no change, and one is declining. Plans are underway to introduce schemes to monitor the remaining mammal species over the next few years.
The TMP has a programme of 17 schemes, some collecting information on a range of species, others dedicated to a single species, but the majority have something in common –the data are collected by members of the public, including those who work in the countryside. Over 14,000 volunteers are currently taking part in mammal monitoring every year, carrying out over 140,000 hours of survey work, covering more than 16,500 survey sites across the UK, collecting the valuable data, which are then analysed to provide the population trends.
The estimated value of the time given by volunteers is in the region of £4.5 million per annum, considerably more than the estimated £500,000 currently spent on running the surveys by Government and Non-Government Organisations in the TMP, and shows the vital contribution the volunteers make to the success of the monitoring programme.
Jessa Battersby, coordinator of the TMP, commented "It is excellent to have a cooperative partnership, with so many volunteers engaged in collecting the data. We are able to provide some really useful information on mammal populations together in one place for the first time."
Welcoming the report, Nature Conservation Minister Ben Bradshaw said "This innovative partnership has made an excellent start at improving the quality, quantity and dissemination of data to aid species conservation and wildlife management policy. It is good to see that otter populations are now beginning to thrive, along with various bat species; but the new data will also help us to improve common dormouse and water vole populations in the future.
"I want to thank the many members of the public who, as volunteers, have given their time to monitor mammals in their area, a vital component in collecting and co-ordinating this important information. The data collected are essential to make informed decisions about conservation and wildlife management of these species."
More information can be found in the report, UK Mammals: Species Status and Population Trends, a 150 page summary of all the monitoring schemes and their results, which is available to buy from the Natural History Book Service.
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