DOCSLIB.ORG

Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales Jenny MacPherson The Vincent Wildlife Trust 3 & 4 Bronsil Courtyard, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1EP November 2014 Co-authors and contributors ELIZABETH CROOSE The Vincent Wildlife Trust, 3 & 4 Bronsil Courtyard, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 1EP DAVID BAVIN The Vincent Wildlife Trust, 3 & 4 Bronsil Courtyard, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 1EP DECLAN O’MAHONY Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute, Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland JONATHAN P. SOMPER Greenaway, 44 Estcourt Road, Gloucester, GL1 3LG NATALIE BUTTRISS The Vincent Wildlife Trust, 3 & 4 Bronsil Courtyard, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 1EP Acknowledgements We would like to thank Johnny Birks, Robbie McDonald, Steven Tapper, Sean Christian and David Bullock for their input and helpful comments and discussion during the preparation of this report. We are also grateful to Paul Bright, Liz Halliwell, Huw Denman, Kenny Kortland, Colin Seddon, Roisin Campbell-Palmer, Peter Lack, Roger Powell, Pete Turner, Catherine O’Reilly, members and staff of the Dutch Mammal Society, Henry Schofield, Hilary Macmillan, Kate McAney, Orly Razgour and Matthieu Lundy for their help and advice. The questionnaire survey in chapter 5 was carried out as part of the People & Pine Martens in Wales project, funded by the Welsh Co-operative to whom we owe thanks. We are grateful to all organisations and individuals who publicised the online survey, including the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, The Mammal Society, Denmark Farm, Gwent Wildlife Trust and Brecknock Wildlife Trust, and to all those who took time to complete the survey. Special thanks to Professor David Macdonald for reviewing and commenting on this report, and to members of the UK Pine Marten Strategy Group for their feedback. © A. Achterberg Page 2 Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales Contents Co-authors and contributors 2 Acknowledgements 2 Contents 3 List of Figures 4 List of Tables 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 CRYNODEB 8 1. INTRODUCTION 10 1.1. Objectives 11 1.2. Background 11 1.3. References 12 2. HABITAT ASSESSMENT: USING HABITAT MODELLING TO IDENTIFY PRIORITY AREAS IN ENGLAND AND WALES FOR PINE MARTEN TRANSLOCATIONS 14 2.1. Introduction 14 2.2. Methods 14 2.3. Results 15 2.4. Discussion 18 2.5. References 20 3. POTENTIAL PINE MARTEN REINFORCEMENT REGIONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES 23 3.1. Introduction 23 3.2. Methods 25 3.3. Results 26 3.4. Discussion 35 3.5. References 36 4. POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF RECOVERING PINE MARTEN POPULATIONS ON OTHER SPECIES 39 4.1. Introduction 39 4.2. Methods 40 4.3. Results 41 4.4. Discussion 43 4.5. References 47 5. ASSESSING PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS PINE MARTEN REINFORCEMENTS 51 5.1. Introduction 51 5.2. Methods 51 5.3. Results 52 5.4. Discussion 56 5.5. References 59 6. ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED PINE MARTEN REINFORCEMENT AGAINST IUCN GUIDELINES 61 6.1. References 64 7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 66 7.1. Conclusions 66 7.2. Further Work & Recommendations 67 Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales Page 3 List of Figures Figure 2.1 Response curves from a single, randomly selected MaxEnt replicate, showing the contribution of each variable to prediction of pine marten occurrence. Figure 2.2 Habitat suitability map for the pine marten in Britain based on MaxEnt model predictions. Darker shades of grey represent higher predicted habitat suitability Figure 3.1 Map of the UK showing the location of the six potential reinforcement regions (PRRs) evaluated here. Figure 3.2 The percentage of broadleaved, conifer, mixed and open IFTs within each PRR. Figure 3.3 Map of Afan PRR showing all motorway, A, B and minor class roads in relation to national forest estate and privately owned woodlands. Figure 3.4 Map of Dean PRR showing all motorway, A, B and minor class roads in relation to national forest estate and privately owned woodlands. Figure 3.5 Map of Gwydyr PRR showing all motorway, A, B and minor class roads in relation to national forest estate and privately owned woodlands. Figure 3.6 Map of Mawddach-Dyfi PRR showing all motorway, A, B and minor class roads in relation to national forest estate and privately owned woodlands. Figure 3.7 Map of North Ceredigion PRR showing all motorway, A, B and minor class roads in relation to national forest estate and privately owned woodlands. Figure 3.8 Map of Tywi PRR showing all motorway, A, B and minor class roads in relation to national forest estate and privately owned woodlands. Figure 5.1 The 8 hot-spot catchments in Wales, designated by the highest concentrations of recent pine marten sightings and records, collated by the Vincent Wildlife Trust since 1996. Figure 5.2 Frequency distribution of the amount mailing and weblink respondents were willing to pay to support a pine marten restocking. Figure 5.3 Frequency distribution of weblink (n=121) and mailing (n=99) respondents who gave information on organisation membership. Respondents were able to make more than one choice. Figure 5.4 Frequency distribution of mailing (n=135) and weblink (n=146) respondents who gave information on past and current employment. Respondents were able to make more than one choice. Page 4 Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales List of Tables Table 2.1 Description of environmental variables and their contribution to the model. Table 3.1 Woodland characteristics and amount of each interpreted forest type within each PRR. Table 3.2 Road lengths, traffic flow and index of road mortality risk for each PRR. Table 3.3 Proximity of each PRR to commercial shoots Table 4.1 All red (n=28) and amber (n=51) listed birds recorded as breeding in PRRs (data from BTO breeding bird atlas 2007-2011) Table 4.2 Nest habitat of red and amber list breeding birds recorded in PRRs. Table 4.3 The number of potentially vulnerable red and amber listed bird species found in each PRR. Table 4.4 Percentage of the British breeding distribution of potentially vulnerable red and amber list bird species within PRRS (mean±SE). Table 5.1 Reasons respondents gave for supporting restocking, categorised and ranked based on number of responses (n=755). Table 5.2 Reasons respondents gave for being against restocking, categorised and ranked based on number of responses (n=57). © A. Achterberg Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales Page 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Successful translocations of pine marten to recently and historically occupied, suitable habitat could be a major proactive step towards improving the conservation status and genetic diversity of pine marten in England and Wales. This report provides an initial assessment of the feasibility of undertaking translocations to reinforce existing populations that have failed to recover naturally. The pine marten, Martes martes, was once widespread throughout Britain but during the 18th and 19th century pine martens declined dramatically due to habitat loss, compounded by increases in trapping and predator control associated with the rise in game shooting. By the beginning of the last century pine marten were only found in the far north west of Scotland, with small isolated pockets in some upland areas of northern England and Wales. Populations are now recovering well and expanding back into their former ranges in Scotland, but this is not the case elsewhere in the UK. Sightings reports and occasional unequivocal records suggest that some animals are still present in some parts of southern Britain but in such low numbers that population viability is highly vulnerable. A landscape modelling approach was used to predict habitat suitability for pine marten across England and Wales at the 10km square resolution. The model identified a number of areas with high suitability values, these were in the north of England (Northumberland, the Lake District and in the Pennines), with some clustered in the West Country and around the Forest of Dean. There was a proportionately greater predicted area of high suitability in Wales, from Snowdonia in the north down the Cambrian Mountains through central Wales and in the Vale of Neath in the south. Informed by the results of habitat modelling, and our database of reported pine marten sightings collected since 1996, six potential reinforcement regions (PRRs) were identified.These are areas of high predicted habitat suitability in regions where reports of recent sightings and other evidence suggest pine martens are still present in extremely low numbers. For each of these PRRs, initial desk-based analyses of variables that are likely to have an impact on establishment and spread were carried out. Roads are likely to be an important source of mortality affecting the viability of newly reinforced pine marten populations. The total length of roads in each PRR and the percentage of those within woodland, combined with annual volume of traffic were used to calculate the relative likelihood of marten mortality due to road traffic accidents. Even a low rate of additional mortality will increase extinction risk and jeopardise the establishment of a newly reinforced population. Therefore, translocations should first be to those PRRs identified here that have woodland blocks large enough to support relatively high marten numbers, and where likelihood of additional mortality is low. Page 6 Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales © A. Achterberg The perception that the recovery of a native predator will have a negative effect on native prey species is a major concern for some stakeholders. A thorough risk assessment, evaluating the ecological roles of translocated animals in their new environment, and potential impacts on other species already present in release areas is an essential aspect of the feasibility study.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ipterists Digest
    ipterists Digest Dipterists’ Digest is a popular journal aimed primarily at field dipterists in the UK, Ireland and adjacent countries, with interests in recording, ecology, natural history, conservation and identification of British and NW European flies. Articles may be of any length up to 3000 words. Items exceeding this length may be serialised or printed in full, depending on the competition for space. They should be in clear concise English, preferably typed double spaced on one side of A4 paper. Only scientific names should be underlined- Tables should be on separate sheets. Figures drawn in clear black ink. about twice their printed size and lettered clearly. Enquiries about photographs and colour plates — please contact the Production Editor in advance as a charge may be made. References should follow the layout in this issue. Initially the scope of Dipterists' Digest will be:- — Observations of interesting behaviour, ecology, and natural history. — New and improved techniques (e.g. collecting, rearing etc.), — The conservation of flies and their habitats. — Provisional and interim reports from the Diptera Recording Schemes, including provisional and preliminary maps. — Records of new or scarce species for regions, counties, districts etc. — Local faunal accounts, field meeting results, and ‘holiday lists' with good ecological information/interpretation. — Notes on identification, additions, deletions and amendments to standard key works and checklists. — News of new publications/references/iiterature scan. Texts concerned with the Diptera of parts of continental Europe adjacent to the British Isles will also be considered for publication, if submitted in English. Dipterists Digest No.1 1988 E d ite d b y : Derek Whiteley Published by: Derek Whiteley - Sheffield - England for the Diptera Recording Scheme assisted by the Irish Wildlife Service ISSN 0953-7260 Printed by Higham Press Ltd., New Street, Shirland, Derby DE5 6BP s (0773) 832390.
    [Show full text]
  • The 2008 IUCN Red Listings of the World's Small Carnivores
    The 2008 IUCN red listings of the world’s small carnivores Jan SCHIPPER¹*, Michael HOFFMANN¹, J. W. DUCKWORTH² and James CONROY³ Abstract The global conservation status of all the world’s mammals was assessed for the 2008 IUCN Red List. Of the 165 species of small carni- vores recognised during the process, two are Extinct (EX), one is Critically Endangered (CR), ten are Endangered (EN), 22 Vulnerable (VU), ten Near Threatened (NT), 15 Data Deficient (DD) and 105 Least Concern. Thus, 22% of the species for which a category was assigned other than DD were assessed as threatened (i.e. CR, EN or VU), as against 25% for mammals as a whole. Among otters, seven (58%) of the 12 species for which a category was assigned were identified as threatened. This reflects their attachment to rivers and other waterbodies, and heavy trade-driven hunting. The IUCN Red List species accounts are living documents to be updated annually, and further information to refine listings is welcome. Keywords: conservation status, Critically Endangered, Data Deficient, Endangered, Extinct, global threat listing, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable Introduction dae (skunks and stink-badgers; 12), Mustelidae (weasels, martens, otters, badgers and allies; 59), Nandiniidae (African Palm-civet The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most authorita- Nandinia binotata; one), Prionodontidae ([Asian] linsangs; two), tive resource currently available on the conservation status of the Procyonidae (raccoons, coatis and allies; 14), and Viverridae (civ- world’s biodiversity. In recent years, the overall number of spe- ets, including oyans [= ‘African linsangs’]; 33). The data reported cies included on the IUCN Red List has grown rapidly, largely as on herein are freely and publicly available via the 2008 IUCN Red a result of ongoing global assessment initiatives that have helped List website (www.iucnredlist.org/mammals).
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Impact Report
    ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT SUPPLEMENT TO THE REPORT ON THE ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT OF THE “CONSTRUCTION OF THE KARCINO-SARBIA WIND FARM (17 WIND TURBINES)” OF 2003 Name of the undertaking: KARCINO-SARBIA Wind Farm (under construction) Contractor: AOS Agencja Ochrony Środowiska Sp. z o.o. based in Koszalin Arch. No. 52/OŚ/OOS/06 Koszalin, September 2006 Team: Bogdan Gutkowski, M.Sc.Eng.– Expert for Environmental Impact Assessment Appointed by the Governor of the West Pomerania Province Marek Ziółkowski, M.Sc. Eng. – Environmental Protection Expert of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry; Environmental Protection Consultant Dagmara Czajkowska, M.Sc. Eng. – Specialist for Environmental Impact Assessment, Specialist for Environmental Protection and Management Ewa Reszka, M.Sc. – Specialist for the Protection of Water and Land and Protection against Impact of Waste Damian Kołek, M.Sc.Eng. – Environmental Protection Specialist 2 CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 5 II. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT ..................................................... 9 1. Location and adjacent facilities....................................................................................................... 9 2. Modifications to the project .......................................................................................................... 10 3. Technical description of the project ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Optimising the Value of By-Catch from Lynx Lynx Camera Trap Surveys in the Swiss Jura Region
    ©KORA ©KORA Optimising the Value of By-catch from Lynx lynx Camera Trap Surveys in the Swiss Jura Region. Fiona Anne Pamplin 6th August 2013 ©KORA A dissertation submitted to the University of East Anglia, Norwich for the Master of Science degree in Applied Ecology and Conservation 2012-2013. ©This copy of the dissertation has been supplied on the condition that copyright rests with the author and that no information derived therefrom may be published without the author’s written consent. Copyright for all wildlife camera trap photographs used in this document rests with KORA and may not be reproduced in any media without prior permission from KORA, Switzerland. ©KORA Contents 1. Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 2. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 5 3. Methods …………………………………………………………………………………….. 10 4. Results………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 5. Conclusion & Discussion……………….................................................. 29 6. Recommendations……………………………………………………………………... 34 7. References…………………………………………………………………………………. 37 8. Appendix …………………………………………………………...……………………... 42 2 Acknowledgements I am extremely grateful to Dr. Urs Breitenmoser (KORA) for providing me with the wonderful opportunity to work at KORA Switzerland and for allowing me to use the camera trap data for the purpose of this study. Many thanks also to Dr. Fridolin Zimmermann for granting me access to his treasure trove of camera trap photos, providing lots of helpful ideas, editing suggestions and supporting references. I am indebted to Danilo
    [Show full text]
  • “Brilliant Britain” on Stamps
    Stamp Fun “Brilliant Britain” on Stamps £3.00 Stamp Active Network In association with The Great Britain Philatelic Society Welcome to Stamp Active Stamp Active is a voluntary organisation which promotes stamp collecting for young people in the UK. This pack provides some activities for you to complete. If you finish five of the activities in the pack, please take it to one of the organisers at a Stamp Active event and you will receive a prize. There is plenty more for you to do in the pack or you can have a go at some of the other stamp competitions promoted by Stamp Active. The pack is yours to keep and it will give you a useful guide to some of the varied aspects of stamp collecting. Have Fun! Kids Corner, sponsored by The Philatelic Traders Society, Stamp Active Network is supported by major sponsors which takes place at Spring and Autumn Stampex, held including The Philatelic Fund, Stanley Gibbons, at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London. The Association of British Philatelic Societies, The Philatelic Traders Society, and The Great Britain Philatelic Society The Stamp Active Competition, sponsored by the as well as many other dealers, individuals and clubs and GBPS and The British Youth Stamp Championships, societies. Special thanks to Ian Varey for his development sponsored by Stanley Gibbons, for those interested in of the ideas for this activity pack. displaying their collections. We are always in need of financial donations or the gift Stamp Active Web Site to find out more about collecting of stamps, covers and other material.
    [Show full text]
  • Feeding Habits and Overlap Among Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes) and Stone
    Mamm. biol. 67 2002) 137±146 Mammalian Biology ã Urban & Fischer Verlag http://www.urbanfischer.de/journals/mammbiol Zeitschrift fuÈr SaÈ ugetierkunde Original investigation Feeding habits and overlap among red fox Vulpes vulpes) and stone marten Martes foina) in two Mediterranean mountain habitats By J. M. PADIAL,E.AÂVILA,andJ.M.GIL-SAÂNCHEZ Group for the study and conservation of nature Signatus and Department of Animal Biology, University of Granada, Spain. Receipt of Ms. 31. 01. 2001 Acceptance of Ms. 30. 07. 2001 Abstract The feeding habits of two carnivorous opportunists, red fox 3Vulpes vulpes) and stonemarten 3Martes foina), have been compared in two Mediterranean mountain habitats 3mesic and xeric), lo- cated in the Sierra Nevada National Park 3SE Spain), between April 1997 and March 1998. The ana- lysis of scats revealed a very important interspecific trophic niche overlap in the mesic habitat. In the xeric habitat the differences were significant and the overlap moderate. Seasonal variations ex- isted in the degree of overlap, which reached its highest level in winter in the mesic habitat and in spring in the xeric habitat. The results indicated that the availability of food in each habitat was important in determining the divergence of the diets. Thus, in the mesic habitat, competition could be possible, although it was not important enough to cause a habitat segregation. Martens seemed to be more adaptive than foxes, probably due to their smaller size and arboreal life, allowing them to exploit fruit which is not as profitable for the fox. Foxes based their diet on small mammals, car- rion and cultivated fruit in both habitats.
    [Show full text]
  • Interspecific Killing Among Mammalian Carnivores
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Digital.CSIC vol. 153, no. 5 the american naturalist may 1999 Interspeci®c Killing among Mammalian Carnivores F. Palomares1,* and T. M. Caro2,² 1. Department of Applied Biology, EstacioÂn BioloÂgica de DonÄana, thought to act as keystone species in the top-down control CSIC, Avda. MarõÂa Luisa s/n, 41013 Sevilla, Spain; of terrestrial ecosystems (Terborgh and Winter 1980; Ter- 2. Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology and borgh 1992; McLaren and Peterson 1994). One factor af- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, fecting carnivore populations is interspeci®c killing by California 95616 other carnivores (sometimes called intraguild predation; Submitted February 9, 1998; Accepted December 11, 1998 Polis et al. 1989), which has been hypothesized as having direct and indirect effects on population and community structure that may be more complex than the effects of either competition or predation alone (see, e.g., Latham 1952; Rosenzweig 1966; Mech 1970; Polis and Holt 1992; abstract: Interspeci®c killing among mammalian carnivores is Holt and Polis 1997). Currently, there is renewed interest common in nature and accounts for up to 68% of known mortalities in some species. Interactions may be symmetrical (both species kill in intraguild predation from a conservation standpoint each other) or asymmetrical (one species kills the other), and in since top predator removal is thought to release other some interactions adults of one species kill young but not adults of predator populations with consequences for lower trophic the other.
    [Show full text]
  • An Opportunity to Bring Together Marten, Fisher, Sable, Wolverine, and Tayra Biologists Gilbert PROULX1 and Keith B
    CWBM 2014: Volume 3, Number 1 ISSN: 1929-3100 Point to Ponder The Martes“ Complex” — An Opportunity to Bring Together Marten, Fisher, Sable, Wolverine, and Tayra Biologists Gilbert PROULX1 and Keith B. AUBRY2 1 Alpha Wildlife Research & Management Ltd., 229 Lilac Terrace, Sherwood Park, Alberta, T8H 1W3, Canada. Email: [email protected] 2 USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3625 93rd Ave. SW Olympia, Washington 96512, USA. Email: kaubry.fs.fed.us Abstract Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that the genus Martes is polyphyletic with respect to the Fisher (Pekania pennanti), which is more closely related to the Wolverine (Gulo gulo) and Tayra (Eira barbara) than it is to the martens. We refer to the 11 species in the genera Martes, Pekania, Gulo, and Eira as the “Martes Complex”. Because the species comprising the Martes Complex share many physical, behavioural, and ecological traits, we believe that biologists and managers interested in any of these species would benefit from meeting with colleagues and exchanging information and ideas to address challenging conservation issues. Key Words: Fisher, Pekania pennanti, martens, Martes, Martes Complex, Sable, Tayra, Eira barbara, Wolverine, Gulo gulo. During the last 20 years, fossil records and molecular genetic Japanese Marten (M. melampus) in Japan and the Korean Peninsula; studies have provided the scientific community with new insights the Yellow-throated Marten (M. flavigula) in southeast Asia; and about the Martes lineage. Hughes (2012:15) described its the Nilgiri Marten (M. gwatkinsii) in southern India (Proulx et al. evolutionary history as “a series of dispersals and speciations against 2004; Aubry et al.
    [Show full text]
  • NAME of SPECIES: Martes Foina Synonyms: Common Name: Stone Marten, Beech Marten A
    NAME OF SPECIES: Martes foina Synonyms: Common Name: Stone marten, beech marten A. CURRENT STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION I. In Wisconsin? 1. YES X NO 2. Abundance: Minimal population established in southeast Wisconsin. 3. Geographic Range: Found around the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest. Found in four counties: Jefferson, Racine, Waukesha and Walworth. 4. Habitat Invaded: This species is found around humans (2). Disturbed Areas X Undisturbed Areas 5. Historical Status and Rate of Spread in Wisconsin: The stone marten was brought to the Wisconsin as a commercial furbearer venture. Stone martens were released and/or escaped in about 1972 and have established wild populations. 6. Proportion of potential range occupied: Minimal range expansion over 35 years. These animals establish home ranges and stay in their home range. They are territorial. 7. Reproducing Naturally: The Wisconsin DNR stated that they are not sure if this species is reproducing in Wisconsin or not. Anecdotal stories from various people indicate that they are reproducing in Wisconsin, but DNR findings are inconclusive. II. Invasive in Similar Climate 1. YES X NO Zones Where (include trends): These animals are found in open areas near homesteads. Wisconsin is the only place this animal is found in the United States (1,2). III. Invasive in Similar Habitat 1. Upland Wetland Dune Prairie Aquatic Types Forest Grassland Bog Fen Swamp Marsh Lake Stream Other: Stone Martens are found in open deciduous forests, and rock outcroppings (1). The do not require the large forest component as other Martens do (1). In Europe Stone Martens prefer shrubs, brushy areas and found to avoid large homogenous forests (2).
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding Birds in Trouble: a Framework for an Action Plan in the Wadden Sea
    Breeding birds in trouble: A framework for an action plan in the Wadden Sea Kees Koffijberg John Frikke Bernd Hälterlein Gundolf Reichert Hartmut Andretzke February 2016 Photo: G. Reichert Breeding birds in trouble: A framework for an action plan in the Wadden Sea 2 SUMMARY 3 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUNDS 4 2. TMAP BREEDING BIRD MONITORING 5 3. BREEDING BIRDS IN TROUBLE? 7 5. FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION 14 6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION 19 REFERENCES 22 Text and graphics: Kees Koffijberg Lay‐out: Gerold Lüerßen Breeding birds in trouble: A framework for an action plan in the Wadden Sea 3 Summary Data from the bird monitoring schemes within TMAP have shown that breeding birds in the Wadden Sea are generally not doing well at the moment. Recent results show that 18 out of 29 monitored bird species are in decline. Among them are species for which the Wadden Sea hosts an important share of the flyway population, e.g. Redshank, Oystercatcher and Avocet. In the group of species showing "steady" declines, many breeding birds of coastal grasslands are found, for instance Lapwing, Black‐tailed Godwit, Common Snipe and Ruff. Common Snipe, Dunlin and Ruff are on the brink of extinction as breeding birds. Compared to previous assessments in Quality Status Reports, the number of species showing negative trends has further increased recently. Moreover, the rate of decrease has accelerated in several species, indicating breeding conditions are getting worse. Poor breeding success has been identified as an important driver for the declining populations. Especially in species like Oystercatcher, Avocet and Arctic Tern, there is a clear association between low breeding success, the general decline in numbers and the recent acceleration in the rate of decline.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Mustelids in the Transmission of Sarcocystis Spp. Using Cattle As Intermediate Hosts
    animals Article The Role of Mustelids in the Transmission of Sarcocystis spp. Using Cattle as Intermediate Hosts Petras Prakas *, Linas Balˇciauskas , Evelina Juozaityte-Ngugu˙ and Dalius Butkauskas Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania; [email protected] (L.B.); [email protected] (E.J.-N.); [email protected] (D.B.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Simple Summary: Members of the genus Sarcocystis are worldwide distributed protozoan parasites. Sarcocystis infections cause great losses in economically important animals. There is a lack of studies on Sarcocystis in naturally infected wild predators, especially of the family Mustelidae which represent a presumably important group of definitive hosts of these parasites. The objective of the present study was to examine the small intestine samples of various mustelid species from Lithuania serving as a possible source of Sarcocystis spp. using cattle as intermediate hosts. Overall, 84 samples collected from five mustelid species were analyzed. Oocysts/sporocysts of Sarcocystis spp. were detected in 75 animals (89.3%). Using molecular methods four Sarcocystis spp., S. bovifelis, S. cruzi, S. hirsuta and S. hominis were identified, with the first two being the most prevalent. These results indicate that mustelids are involved in the transmission of Sarcocystis spp. using cattle as intermediate hosts. The determined high prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. rates cause concerns about food safety issues. To control the spread of infection, further studies on the way carcasses of cattle or beef waste become Citation: Prakas, P.; Balˇciauskas,L.; accessible to mustelids are needed. Juozaityte-Ngugu,˙ E.; Butkauskas, D. The Role of Mustelids in the Abstract: There is a lack of research on the role of mustelids in the transmission of various Sarco- Transmission of Sarcocystis spp.
    [Show full text]
  • Live Capture and Handling of the European Wildcat in Central Italy
    Hystrix It. J. Mamm. (n.s.) 21(1) (2010): 73-82 LIVE CAPTURE AND HANDLING OF THE EUROPEAN WILDCAT IN CENTRAL ITALY LOLITA BIZZARRI*, MORENO LACRIMINI, BERNARDINO RAGNI Università degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare e Ambientale, via Elce di Sotto I, 06123 Perugia, Italia *Corresponding author: e-mail: [email protected] Received 7 April 2010; accepted 25 May 2010 ABSTRACT - Between 2003 and 2006, a live-trapping of European wildcats (Felis silvestris) was carried out in the Apennines (central Italy). Double-door tunnel cage traps were set along trap-lines. A box containing live quails as bait was securely attached to the side of each cage. Trapping was carried out in 8 sessions at a total of 60 trap-sites, mainly inside woods (65%). The distance between the traps ranged from 146 m to 907 m and the length of each trap-line ranged from 541 m to 2632 m. There were 16 captures of 11 different wildcats, the capture success rate being 1 wildcat/209 trap-days. Nine males and 2 females were caught, suggesting sex-biased trapping selection. In addition to wildcats, 20 non-target species were captured during the 8 sessions. No animal was injured by the traps and no wildcat was endangered by narcosis or handling. The technique proved to be effective for future field studies that envisage the radio-tracking of wildcats. Key words: Felis silvestris, trapping, Apennines, Italy RIASSUNTO - Cattura e immobilizzazione del gatto selvatico in Italia centrale. Tra il 2003 e il 2006 è stato svolto un programma di ricerca sul gatto selvatico europeo (Felis silvestris) in un'area dell'Appennino centrale.
    [Show full text]