News: Living with Mammals survey

17th March 2008

Ten percent of the land cover of the UK is urban and the green spaces around our homes and places of work blur the distinction between built and natural environments. They can support unique communities of wildlife and act as 'green corridors' linking habitats that are too small to support communities alone. The People's Trust for Endangered Species' Living with Mammals is an annual survey of these urban green spacesThe People's Trust for Endangered Species' Living with Mammals is an annual survey of these urban green spaces and is calling for volunteers to take part in this year's survey, which begins on 31st March.

Living with Mammals defines the built environment as that within 220 yards (200 m) of buildings, whether in a rural or urban setting, but is in the latter that most people are likely to encounter wildlife from day to day. Gardens, allotments, amenity grassland, derelict ground, and churchyards may all be part of the urban landscapeGardens, allotments, amenity grassland, derelict ground, and churchyards may all be part of the urban landscape. Private gardens collectively cover about 667,000 acres (270,000 hectares) in Britain and make up the largest urban green space as well as the largest single category of site in Living with Mammals.

© Christine Holloway
Grey Squirrel Around half of Britain's terrestrial wild mammals have been recorded in the survey (in total, 30 species or groups of species, such as bats, have been spotted). Some, such as mice and rats, have been our living companions around the world for millennia, while others such as grey squirrels and red foxes haved moved in comparatively recently.

Foxes began to colonise suburban areas of London in the 1930s and caught the public eye in the early 1960s. Today, there are thought to be about 5,000 adult foxes within the M25, and perhaps seven times as many in urban areas nationally. In cities, foxes typically have smaller home ranges than those of foxes in farmland areas, taking advantage of a wide range of food sources: invertebrates, fruit, wild animals, pets and scavenged food are all on the menu. There are also foxes that enjoy the pickings of the town while living in rural areas, commuting in at night to forage.

Hedgehogs are another frequently encountered species but may be less common in gardens now than they once were. 'Urban fill' and the use of pesticides are likely to have had a negative impact, but it is still uncertain how their numbers are changing. Few surveys of urban hedgehogs exist and currently only Living with Mammals and the British Trust for Ornithology's Garden BirdWatch collect data on garden populationsFew surveys of urban hedgehogs exist and currently only Living with Mammals and the British Trust for Ornithology's Garden BirdWatch collect data on garden populations.

Bats, shrews and badger were among the other protected species recorded, along with rarer species such otter and red squirrel.

Living with Mammals is the first national scheme to survey sites across the whole range of near-urban habitats, from gardens to golf courses, railway embankments to farmland. As long-term trends emerge, so it is hoped that its findings can feed into local action plans and that, in future, we may see more of our mammal neighbours.

To take part, visit the PTES website (www.ptes.org) and click Get involved... or contact PTES for a survey pack (with a guide to identifying wild mammals) on 020 7498 4533 or at: LwM@ptes.org. The PDF documents below also give more information:
Further information
Survey pack request

Source: Hannah Stockwell, PTES