people’s trust for endangered species

Annual Report 2009 Contents What we are about

We are an independent conservation charity that addresses the plight of endangered species worldwide. The loss of biodiversity has a direct impact on us all. It affects world food supplies and water availability; What we are about Page 3 it limits the search for new medicines; it increases our vulnerability to natural disasters and heightens the effects of climate change. Supporting excellence in conservation Page 4 The Trust pursues its charitable objectivess by seeking solutions to Priority species and habitats Page 5 conservation problems based on scientific assessment and putting those solutions into practice. Protecting important habitats Page 11 This year our work protecting precious and precarious habitats in the UK Involving people in conservation Page 14 has grown further. Our well established work creating an inventory of the traditionally managed orchards in has continued apace and we Fundraising and finance Page 15 have a new and exciting project to protect hedgerows, a habitat of great importance to a wealth of species. PTES people Page 17 Through our grants programme we have helped to conserve dormice Grants awarded 2009 Page 18 in , snow leopards in Mongolia, echidnas in Papua New Guinea, orangutans in Indonesia and elephants in Kenya. We have supported work on many other species too including flower bees and in the UK, crocodiles in the Philippines and the scrambling shrub of Benin.

PTES, 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4BG tel: 020 7498 4533 [email protected] fax: 020 7498 4459 www.ptes.org registered charity number 27420 Front page photo credits: scrambling shrub Achille Assogbadjo; elephant Richard Kock; Gail Angela Campbell Smith 2 noble chafer Matt Smith; hazel dormouse Andrew Shaw 3 Supporting excellence in conservation Priority species and habitats

Our worldwide grants scheme the Scottish Government in Understanding the status of part. An online system is under for practical conservation of the making decisions on the future of wildlife species is essential in development that will allow whole range of endangered species beavers in Scotland. setting conservation priorities and records to be submitted using continues apace. taking effective action. interactive maps. PTES also co-funded feasibility Through our special campaign studies into the re-introduction We run two annual surveys of Data collected from all our species fund for conservation work on UK of beavers to both England and mammal species. Living with surveys and research are entered on mammals, we are also supporting Wales. Mammals collected records from the National Biodiversity Network projects on red squirrels, hedgehogs, around 500 urban sites in 2009 gateway, the national repository of bats, brown hares, dormice, harvest To encourage the highest quality and a new Living with Mammals all monitoring records. mice and otters and we continue to people to set out on a career in website, built in-house, will be be closely involved with the national conservation, we run an internship launched next year. steering groups for the Biodiversity programme. Five UK internships Action Plans for water voles and red were awarded to support young Financial support from Britpave squirrels. A full list of all the projects conservationists working on red this year allowed us to publicise we have funded this year can be squirrels, bats, water voles and our Mammals on Roads survey found on page 19. badgers. This year for the first time, more widely. This resulted in we also awarded two internships 200 new volunteers taking We were delighted to support for invertebrate conservation to the re-introduction of beavers to support our longstanding interest the Knapdale Forest. The beavers in these species. The projects will be tracked and data will be focused on oil beetles and silver- collected over five years to help studded blue butterflies.

Clare Bowen Allard Martinius Christine Holloway 4 5 Priority species and habitats Priority species and habitats

Our longstanding commitment This year we secured an agreement Hedgerows provide vital living landowners and managers. The to conserving hazel dormice with Doncaster Prison where the corridors for dormice and other project will help re-plant missing continues: a species in steady inmates are making nest boxes species to live in and move hedgerows and gap up existing decline and an indicator of the state to use in monitoring sites, saving between woodlands. With ones, transforming the health of of our woodlands and hedgerows. around 70% of the previous cost. support from Natural England’s the countryside. In 2009 the National Dormouse Countdown 2010 scheme, our Monitoring Programme, celebrated Dormice were released at a Hedgerows for Dormice project As hedgerows are important in its 21st birthday. For the past two woodland in Warwickshire in is now well underway. Using all dormouse conservation we ran decades volunteers have been June as part of our reintroduction the dormouse records we hold, a Reconnecting the Countryside collecting data at sites throughout programme. At the first nest box dormouse hotspots, where we competition this year to encourage England and Wales. Its longevity check in September, a litter of will concentrate our efforts, were the creation of dormouse-friendly makes it a vitally important data set. young were found indicating that identified in four counties. hedgerows. We awarded the first they are reproducing in their new prize of £1,000 to Keith Allen in The achievement was celebrated by surroundings. Workshops on hedgerow Monmouthshire for planting, our Go Nuts for Dormice campaign. surveying were held in these areas laying and improving 500m of We sold dormouse cookie cutters Our dormouse work is co-funded and volunteers were allocated hedgerow. and distributed dormouse collection with Natural England. local hedgerows to survey. boxes to encourage fundraising. Hedgerow management workshops were offered to Analysis of the data revealed that the rate of decline in dormouse populations has slowed considerably over the last few years and it seems likely that better habitat management might have contributed.

A third Great Nut Hunt was launched in October. Over 3,000 people registered to take part. Twenty silver and one golden hazel nut pendant symbolising the 21 years were ‘hidden’ in woodlands for nut hunters to claim. The hunt resulted in potentially 70 new dormouse

sites. Mike Ewart 6 7 Priority species and habitats Priority species and habitats

Habitat fragmentation, intense records and published to see how Following our exciting recent find To aid future surveying, we agricultural practices, climate stag beetles in the UK are faring of a previously unknown noble are funding research at Royal change and other human activities compared with . chafer population in Kent, Holloway, University of London, are threatening our invertebrates. we focused attention in the area. into non-invasive methods of We lead the national Biodiversity Violet click beetles are extremely We have now found evidence of its detecting the presence of beetle Action Plans for stag beetles, violet rare and our work focuses on presence in another site, about 10 larvae. click beetles and noble chafer making sure there is suitable miles from the first site, and thus beetles. habitat in the few places where likely to be a separate population. they might still exist. Ten artificial Over the last two years members breeding sites were put in Windsor Survey work was also of the public have recorded nearly Great Park, the main site for commissioned in the New Forest 2,000 stag beetle records, both the beetles, together with data where there is a discrete and online and through the survey loggers to find out more about the little studied population of noble forms. These will be incorporated temperature, humidity and other chafers. into a report on this, the third conditions inside. Happily this year Great Stag Hunt to be published a violet click larva was found at in 2010. The data will also be Windsor. collated with all other European

Paul Brock

Angela Horne 8 9 Priority species and habitats Protecting important habitats

Noble chafer beetles are restricted Volunteer survey work and liaison PTES owns two nature reserves This year we planted 50 new hazel almost entirely to the dead and continued in all counties. A leaflet which we manage to protect the trees and 230 meters of hedgerow. decaying wood of old fruit trees in about orchard management was important species within. We also took a work party to the traditional orchards. sent to orchard owners, orchard site to help with seed collecting so groups and other interested Briddlesford Woods comprises 160 that trees of local provinence can Over several years now we parties. hectares of ancient broad-leaved be nurtured and then planted in the have been very active in the woodland on the Isle of Wight. It wood in the future. conservation of traditional During the year we carried out is an internationally-recognised orchards. Our project to digitally a scoping study for producing conservation area, home to a In addition a number of ‘box map all the traditional orchards a Welsh orchard inventory. This unique array of endangered junctions’ have been cut beside of England continues using aerial included the translation of the wildlife including red squirrels, woodland rides which have photographs verified by volunteer forms and instructions into Welsh hazel dormice and several rare been widened to increase light effort on the ground. to provide a bilingual survey pack. species of bat. in the woodland for flowers and butterflies. Maps of orchards in 23 counties PTES is represented on the We are gradually restoring the Woods have been completed and the national orchard Habitat Action to their former glory. We employ a It is both useful and important to data can be downloaded from the Plan group and has been assisting coppice rotation to maximise the have accurate records of what we Natural England website. Butterfly in defining targets, condition diversity and availability of plants, have done and where the Conservation, for example, assessments and other definitions. such as bramble, for the dormice important features are. Therefore has used the data to increase and red squirrels to feed on. This also we have used GPS to map fences, knowledge of the mistletoe Our orchard work is supported by allows light to the woodland floor coppice areas and special trees marble moth, an endangered Natural England and the Esmée to encourage the wildflower growth that are host to rare lichen species. priority species. Fairbairn Foundation. thereby attracting many .

Chris Wedge 10 11 Protecting important habitats Protecting important habitats

Wildlife monitoring is essential and work parties and to the volunteer At Rough Hill, our ancient orchard The Dexter cattle will help to over 500 dormouse nest boxes are students from Merrist Wood in Worcestershire on the banks control the scrub regrowth and add regularly monitored: 2009 was a College. of the River Avon, we received an extra interest to the orchard. ‘good’ year for dormice. In June we funding from D’Oyly Carte found that six of our 13 barn owl We are also indebted to the Daisie Charitable Trust to make the The terraces have been flailed to nest boxes contained barn owl nests. Rich Trust, the John Spedan Lewis orchard safe for grazing cattle. keep back the nettles and promote Foundation and the Rowan Bentall wildflower growth. We have added three new field Charitable Trust for their financial This will involve installing a ponds and many rare dragonflies support. drinking trough and a water A twayblade orchid was found at and damselflies have moved in. supply, building a corral and Rough Hill in May - a new record making adjustments to the for the site. Parts of the woodland are open to fencing and gates to allow the public and many people enjoy controlled access to the site Briddlesford. We took parties of whilst keeping it stock proof. Any people into the restricted areas young trees will also need to on a ‘spring explorer’ woodland be protected with tree guards walk and on one of the dormouse to prevent the cattle from monitoring weekends. browsing them.

We are grateful to all our advisors and surveyors, for the continued efforts of the Island Conservation Volunteers, who organise regular

www.dextercattle.co.uk 12 13 Involving people in conservation Fundraising and finance

We regularly attend public events Wildlife Encounters in 2009, with The online shop was revamped in We are convinced that working to promote our work to new about half of these being new to time for Christmas and included with others is the way to reach new audiences, spread the word about the events and the majority of those our new range of Gifts of Nature people and as well as the partners conservation and recruit new new to PTES altogether. Overseas which are virtual gifts. mentioned above, we have working supporters. This year we focused trips went to Andalucía, the Bay of relationships with LookOutScout (a on smaller events including Biscay and India. A new Gift Republic adoption box children’s organic clothing website), the Brighton Science Festival, was created on elephants. These Black Country Metal Works (that Southbank’s Pestival, Epping Forest We now have our own Facebook boxes are available in major retail creates hedgehog products) and the Festival, Bentley Weald Wood Fair and Twitter profiles through which outlets. This scheme has brought Wicked Fruit Company. and Kent Goes Wild. We reached we are gradually attracting new over 4,000 people to us and they a total of around 50,000 people audiences. join the over 20,000 people who In February, to mark the Darwin resulting in a number of donations, regularly receive our e-newsletter bicentenary, the Reed Foundation new volunteers and e-newsletter We have continued to increase our and are being encouraged to matched any donations made sign ups. kids’ club membership by forming become regular donors. There are through the Big Give website, partnerships with Girl Guiding UK, now five wildlife boxes available up to a given limit. PTES was one Another way in which we involve the Scout Association and other and we hope to develop more. of five wildlife charities selected many longstanding and new organisations. We have developed to benefit and we promoted supporters in our work is through the kids’ area of the website and the opportunity vigorously our programme of wildlife watching improved the printed activities. through our e-newsletter with an events, both in the UK and abroad. outstanding response. We raised Over 600 bookings were made on well over £12,000 this way and found some new donors too.

14 15 Fundraising and finance PTES people

With regard to finances, 2009 was Legacies to the Trust are an Day-to-day management of the PTES also benefits enormously a challenging year as economic enormously valuable addition Trust is carried out by the Chief from the hard work of volunteers events around the world unfolded, to our funds and we benefited Executive, supported by thirteen helping us in the office with data but we managed to maintain greatly from several such full-time members of staff and entry and administrative tasks as our income through a series of bequests in 2009 which have been one part time. The staffing level well as out in the field recording innovative fundraising techniques, especially important to us in such increased by one over the year sightings for our surveys. some much valued legacies and an unstable time in the financial to work on the Hedgerows for success with grant funding which markets. We are greatly indebted Dormice project. We continue to enabled us to further expand our people who show such faith in our employ an experienced public activities. 2010 also promises to be work. relations company to enhance our unpredictable financially but we media exposure, with considerable remain optimistic and look forward In 2009 legacy income was success. to the challenge. £362,551, a little less than 2008 but still the highest source of income The Trust is chaired by Dr Mike The income for the year amounted to the charity. Richardson supported by trustees to £1,368,286 and the expenditure Ms Sheila Anderson, Sylvia Kahn- was £1,314,865. The total funds Freund and Dr Valerie Keeble. available, including fixed assets, were £2,484,463.

Legacies Legacies PTESPTES grantsgrants RaffleRaffle MTUKMTUK grants grants ProductProduct sales sales Woodland management InvestmentInvestment income income Woodland management Surveys and research GrantsGrants Surveys and research Education and outreach PTESPTES donations Donations Education and outreach MTUK Donations Newsletters and public awareness MTUK donations Newsletters / public awareness Rental income Management costs Rental income Management costs Events income Fundraising Events income Fundraising Nature reserve grants Investment management Nature reserve grants Investment management Other Other 17 16 Sources of PTES’ income 2009 Expenditure of PTES 2009 Grants awarded in 2009 Grants awarded in 2009

Through our worldwide grants we have supported a number of interesting and varied projects this year:

• ANAI, Costa Rica - sea turtles £29,750 • CRICYT Mendoza, Argentina - Argentinian armadillos £3,000 Europe • Durrell Institute for Conservation & Ecology (DICE), Sumatra - tigers £2,500 • DICE, Sumatra - sun bears £3,000 Africa • DICE, Sumatra - orangutans £4,111 Asia • Hymethus Ltd, UK - flower bees £8,308 North America • Institute of Biological Research, Papua New Guinea - long-beaked echidnas £3,000 South America • Institute for Ecological Research, Brazil - black lion tamarins £5,000 Australasia • Mabuwaya Foundation, Philippines - Philippine crocodiles £6,000 • Marine Conservation Society, Turks and Caicos Islands - sea turtles £6,314 • Natural History Museum, UK - beetles £3,000 • North Ossetian State Nature, Armenia - Armenian mouflons £4,535 • RASI Foundation, Indonesia - freshwater cetaceans £2,000 Geographical allocation of worldwide grants 2009 • Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL), UK - water voles £55,465 • RHUL, UK - hedgehogs £34,021 • RHUL, UK - violet click and noble chafer beetles £7,787 • Russian Academy of Sciences, Daghestan - forest dormice £3,004 • , Scotland - beavers £20,000 • Snow leopard Conservation Fund, Mongolia - snow leopards £6,500 • South East Mammals Group, UK - water voles £750 • University of Aberdeen, Scotland - water voles £3,815 • University of Abomey, Benin - scrambling shrubs £9,050 • Universtiy of Medicine and Pharmacy, - dormice/saproxylic beetles £3,000 • University of Stirling, UK - bat species £2,800 • Veterinary Laboratories Agency, UK - red squirrels £2,958 • WildCRU, University of Oxford - general funding £50,000 • ZSL, Montserrat - moutain chicken frogs £5,000 • ZSL, Mongolia - long eared jerboas £6,883 • ZSL, Sardinia - Sardinian newts £7,275 • ZSL, Kenya - elephants £4,000 Mariella Superina 18 19 Grants awarded in 2009

The following grants in support of mammal conservation in the UK were awarded:

• Bat Conseravtion Trust - bat species £16,607 • University of Aberdeen - water voles £833 • WildCRU, University of Oxford - harvest mice £20,073 • - harvest mice £8,650 • Brecknock Wildlife Trust - red squirrels £15,000 • University of Exeter - hazel dormice £6,852 • University of Leeds - bat species £7,900 • North Wales Wildlife Trust - hazel dormice £13,956 • University of Bristol - lesser horseshoe bats £6,100

Internships were given as follows:

• - water voles £4,000 • Bat Conservation Trust - bat species £4,000 • University of Bristol - lesser horseshoe bats £3,960 • Zoological Society of London - red squirrels £4,000 • WildCRU, University of Oxford - badgers £4,000 • Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - silver studded blue butterflies £4,000 • Buglife - oil beetles £3,820

If you have supported us in any way throughout 2009 please accept our sincere thanks.

20 Thank you!