Worlds biggest wildlife survey
reports a chorus of frogs hopping around in Merseyside gardens, but our native
squirrels are in the red.
More than half of people in
Merseyside who took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch see common frogs in
their gardens on a regular basis but only a fraction ever see the endangered
red squirrel, according to the second round of results from the world s biggest
wildlife survey, run by the RSPB.
This year, for the first time
in the 36-year history of the survey, Big Garden Birdwatch participants
were also asked to tell the RSPB about some of the other wildlife that visits
their gardens throughout the year, including common frogs, red and grey
squirrels, badgers and hedgehogs. This follows the release of the bird results
by the charity at the end of last month.
Almost half a million people
took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch and most of them supplied extra
information on the other garden wildlife they see. The RSPB hopes to use it to
build an overall picture of how important our gardens are for all types of
wildlife and tailor its advice so people can help their wild visitors find a
home, feed and breed successfully.
The RSPB s partners, including
Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC), People s Trust for Endangered
Species (PTES), and The Mammal Society, have been highly enthusiastic about
including these data in their national datasets.
According to the national
results, grey squirrels came out on top overall, with 72% of people seeing them
in their gardens at least once a month.
In Merseyside 70% of participants see a grey squirrel in their gardens
regularly.
At the other end of the scale,
the greys native relative, the red squirrel, was one of the least-seen garden
visitors, with 75% of participants in Merseyside reporting they never see one
in their gardens. The red squirrel, which is threatened by a lethal virus carried
by the grey, has been lost from much of the UK. In areas where the greys don't
carry the virus, the reds are still affected, essentially being out-competed by
their rivals.
Less than a third of
participants in Merseyside saw hedgehogs in their gardens regularly. Hedgehog
populations have seriously declined nationally by around 30% since the
millennium.
When not hibernating, the
common frog takes the lead as the most abundant garden amphibian, according to
the results. Approximately half of people in the UK see a common frog in their
gardens at least monthly, regardless of whether they live in a rural, suburban
or urban area. In Merseyside, 51% of participants see a common frog in gardens regularly.
When it comes to toads,
nationally 28% of people see them monthly, however in Merseyside, a third of
people report never seeing one in their gardens.
Last year, 25 wildlife
organisations, including the RSPB, released the groundbreaking State of Nature
report revealing 60% of the wildlife species studied have declined over recent
decades.
Many garden favourites were
among the creatures shown to be in serious trouble including starlings and
hedgehogs, as well as some butterflies and ladybirds. All are in danger of
further declines unless more is done to provide better habitats.
Daniel Hayhow, RSPB
conservation scientist, commented: This
massive survey shows how important our gardens are for the amazing variety of wildlife
living there.
The State of Nature report
showed that we need more information across many species groups, so widening
the Big Garden Birdwatchs scope to include other animals made perfect sense.
This is the start of something
big and something very, very important. In a few years time we’ll be able to
compare how the distribution of garden wildlife may have changed. Hopefully,
the fact that more people are helping to give nature a home in their gardens
and outside spaces will mean we see improvements rather than declines.
Dr John Wilkinson, ARC Science
Programme Manager, said: It s great to know
that frogs and toads are still widespread in UK gardens, which are a crucial
habitat for both of them, but worrying that toads are relatively so much less
common than frogs, especially in England. Future results from Big Garden
Birdwatch will be critical in helping to understand all the factors affecting
all our wildlife, including amphibians.
David Wembridge, mammal
surveys coordinator for the People s Trust for Endangered Species, said: Gardens can be ideal habitats for mammals but
from the Big Garden Birdwatch and People s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) mammal surveys, we know that only a
minority of gardens are regularly used by hedgehogs one species we re particularly concerned
about. With numbers falling in the wider countryside, doing more to encourage
hedgehogs into the green spaces around our homes and places of work could make
a big difference.
Marina Pacheco, the Mammal
Society's Chief Executive, said: "Those taking part in this year's Big
Garden Birdwatch have captured one of the largest snapshots ever recorded for
some of our most endearing and threatened mammals. It's fantastic to know that
gardens can be a vital refuge for rapidly-declining species like the red
squirrel and hedgehog. As well as taking part in an enjoyable survey,
participants have greatly increased our understanding of the distribution and relative
abundance of UK mammals."
Giving Nature a Home is the
RSPB s latest campaign, aimed at tackling the housing crisis facing the UK s
threatened wildlife. The charity is asking people to provide a place for
wildlife in their own gardens and outside spaces whether it by planting pollen-rich plants to
attract bees and butterflies, putting up a nestbox for a house sparrow, or creating
a pond that will support a number of different species.
The RSPB hopes to inspire
people across the UK to create a million new homes for nature.
To find out how you can give
nature a home where you live visit rspb.org.uk/homes
No comments:
Post a Comment