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Britain's Mammals

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Britain's Mammals The State of Britain’s Mammals Written2007 by David Macdonald and Dawn Burnham The State of Britain’s Mammals 2007 Contents UK BAP update 2007 4 Impact of wild boar 13 Mapping the distribution of Bechstein’s bat 5 Estimating potential lynx populations 13 New BAP species: mountain hare 6 Human wildlife interactions: reintroducing wolves to Scotland 14 Mountain hares and parasites 6 Genetic markers for Scottish wildcats 14 Brown hare game shooting 7 Moles and mole control in Britain 15 Mammal monitoring: harvest mice 8 Deer vehicle collision 15 HogWatch 8 Seal fisheries conflict 16 Distinguishing tracks of mink and polecat 9 Anti-otter fences around fisheries 17 Wildlife diseases: badgers and bovine TB 10 Bats and climate change 17 Health of Britain's otters 11 MTUK update 18 Red squirrels and parapox virus 11 References 19 Reintroducing extinct mammals: economics of bringing back beavers 12 Amy-Jane Beer Amy-Jane 2 The State of Britain’s Mammals 2007 Preface Seven years have passed since we published the bumper report1 on the challenges facing conservation of Britain’s mammals which spawned this, the sixth annual update on the State of Britain’s Mammals. It doesn’t seem long ago – less than the lifetime of a moderately lucky fox, or even of a single ESA agreement2 – but thumbing through the pages of the five predecessors of this year’s report it’s clear that a lot has changed. Most notably, environmental issues, and associated dilemmas in biodiversity conservation, have rocketed to prominence in the political agenda Oliver Stephen and public mind, and amongst them there are even cases where mammals – including some British ones - find themselves centre involvement of badgers with bovine tuberculosis. The conception stage. Think, for example, of the 2007 perspective on climate by Lord Krebs’ team of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial change, infectious disease, the future of farming or even, albeit far was reported in our first report ‘Britain’s Mammals: The Challenge offshore, whaling. for Conservation1’, and in this sixth issue the definitive conclusion As we write it is raining, hard, again, and the July floods that of those overseeing it, the Independent Scientific Group, is have scarcely subsided were sufficiently catastrophic that they are unambiguous: that although badgers contribute significantly to likely to secure an unhappy place in history. Whether or not this the prevalence of bTB in cattle in some parts of the country, no unseasonal weather is a symptom of climate change, and whatever practicable method of badger culling can reduce the incidence of proportion of it originates from human excesses, it has certainly cattle TB to any meaningful extent and culling may make matters brought abstract discussion of climate change into vivid focus. It worse (see page 10). The counter-intuitive result that killing has also provided an opportunity to see the impact of changing badgers does not help, and often makes thing worse, has brought weather patterns on mammalian populations – innumerable to prominence the now widely accepted perturbation hypothesis small bodies floated on the many square kilometers of water that – which has widespread relevance to the general need to be alert immersed the fields around our homes – a phenomenon that to perverse outcomes when managing wildlife. This is a deeply would have been useful to monitor systematically if Britain had frustrating reality, especially for the beleaguered farmers directly a formal mammal monitoring network. Certainly, a question affected by bTB for whom one's heart bleeds, and it forcibly mark hangs over the fates of the hundreds of water voles whose reminds our bombastic, technological age that the complexity of reintroductions our team had completed, following months of nature renders some problems insoluble with current knowledge meticulous labour, just days before the floods. The sight of rabbits (although in this case, hope lies immediately in biosecurity, and clustered on diminishing islands, wood mice shivering in the ultimately in vaccination technology). upper branches of hedgerows, and a roe deer splashing waist deep The roll-call of environmental topicality seems more strident across a field all give a sense of meaning to concepts like mitigation in 2007 than ever before, and wild mammals are touched by and adaptation in the face of climate change, not to mention the every topic on the list. How are agri-environment schemes to planning implications for those three million new house that the deliver food, biodiversity and rural livelihoods, how is society to Prime Minister hopes to see swiftly built – hopefully all with an balance its respect for individuals and humaneness with its desire eye to sustainability, green spaces and urban nature. to use, manage and develop, how is this nation to provide its ever- With a new foot and mouth disease scare, the role of infectious more urban citizens with contact with nature that is increasingly diseases in the countryside is also freshly in mind. In a broader recognized as important for their well-being and health? The context, SARS and avian influenza highlight the awkward fact glimpse of a small furry creature may seem a trivial thing, but it is that an unwelcome aspect of humanity’s contact with nature is increasingly the hallmark of quality of life issues that reverberates epizootiological, with risks that are likely to increase as humanity through the biggest debates of our times. drives its enterprise ever deeper into the remotest crevices of wilderness. In Britain, we have our own intractable tragedy in the David Macdonald & Dawn Burnham Acknowledgements We are very grateful to the following, who graciously gave of their time and expertise: Nida Al-Fulaij (PTES), Sandra Baker (WildCRU, University of Oxford), Jessa Battersby (Tracking Mammals Partnership and JNCC), Paul Bright (Royal Holloway, University of London), Pete Brotherton (Natural England), Susie Brown (Quercus, Queen’s University Belfast), Roo Campbell (WildCRU, University of Oxford & Telemark University College, Norway), Barry Collins (Manchester Metropolitan University), Adam Dutton (WildCRU, University of Oxford), Stephen Ellwood (WildCRU, University of Oxford), Frank Greenaway (Natural History Museum), Martin Goulding (British Wild Boar), Rodney Hale (Hare Preservation Trust), Philip Hammond (SMRU, University of St. Andrews), Lauren Harrington (WildCRU, University of Oxford), David Hill (University of Sussex), Joelene Hughes (WildCRU, University of Oxford), Jochen Langbein (Deer Initiative), Amanda Lloyd (WildCRU, University of Oxford), Tony Mitchell-Jones (Natural England), Robbie McDonald (Quercus, Queen’s University Belfast), Ant Maddock (JNCC), Scott Newey (Macaulay Institute), Paddy Pomeroy (SMRU, University of St. Andrews), Jonathan Reynolds (Game Conservancy Trust), Phil Riordan (WildCRU, University of Oxford), Chris Sandom (Alladale Project/WildCRU, University of Oxford), Graham Scholey (Environment Agency), Rob Strachan (Environment Agency Wales), Steve Tapper (Game Conservancy Trust), Simon Thirgood (Macaulay Institute), Rosie Woodroffe (University of California, Davis), Carol Williams (Bat Conservation Trust), Charles Wilson (Natural England), Derek Yalden (Manchester University), Alex Zimmerman (WildCRU, Unversity of Oxford & Chester Zoo). We have particularly enjoyed working closely with Jill Nelson, and her excellent leadership of the MTUK. The State of Britain’s Mammals 2007 UK BAP update THE UK BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN (BAP) resulted from the Government’s commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity ‘to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss’, signed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.The first full review of the original 1994 UK BAP was completed in June this year3 recommending almost double the number of species (1149), and adding 16 new habitats (total 65) for inclusion in the revised UK Priority List of Species and Habitats. The recommendations were formally adopted by ministers from all four UK countries in August. The revision serves to focus priorities in the light of new information and mark progress against existing action plans. Eight additional terrestrial mammals are now included on the UK Priority List of Species. Of the new species, harvest mice and hedgehogs are thought to have declined significantly, polecat distribution data suggest a positive trend, mountain hare numbers are recorded as cycling but possibly show a downward trend, and the precarious status of Scottish wildcats and pine martens continue4. New Selection Criteria3 Threats to UK BAP Priority List Species6 Terrestrial species: Threat International or European importance rated as Vulnerable/Endangered/Critically Endangered by IUCN7; Reponsibility Moderate decline with international responsibility decline of more than 25% over the last 25 years and with at least 25% of the global or European population supported by the UK; Decline Marked decline in the UK of more than 50% over the last 25 years, based on either population size or distribution, or inferred from loss of relevant ecosystem function; Other Other important factors e.g. restricted range, threatened key resource, pressure from disease, not yet recovered existing BAP species, indicator species for decline of taxonomic group/threatened habitat. Agriculture Agriculture Marine species: Threat Overfishing Proportional importance Climate change globally, Human disturbance Human Woodlands/ forestry Woodlands/ requiring 20% or more of the population
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