People's Trust for Endangered Species
Abbreviation | PTES |
---|---|
Formation | 1977 |
Legal status | Charitable organization |
Purpose | Science-led conservation of rare and endangered species and habitats |
Location |
|
Region served | UK, funds projects worldwide |
Membership | 16 employees (2015) ~7,500 members ~24,000 volunteers |
Chief Executive | Jill Nelson |
Main organ | Board of Trustees |
Website | PTES |
Peoples Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is a
History
PTES was founded in 1977. Originally based in
Activities
PTES exists to support and restore
Wildlife Surveys
PTES runs several national, public-participation surveys aimed at monitoring wild
As of 2013, extant surveys are:
- Living with Mammals (2003–present): an annual survey running through April, May and June, recording sightings and/or .
- Mammals on Roads (2001–present): an annual survey collecting records of mammal road casualties ('roadkill') on journeys along single carriageways. Changes in counts (over a given distance) from year to year are used to estimate changes in the wider population.[4]
- The Traditional Orchard Survey of England and Wales: (2006 – present): orchards and fruit trees provide a highly biodiverse habitat and are listed as a Priority Habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). PTES is creating a UK inventory and map of the habitat.
- The Hedgehog Hibernation Survey (2012–2014): runs between 1 February and 31 August, collecting sightings of dead and alive hedgehogs through the Hedgehog Street website.[5]
Mammal Monitoring
Hazel dormouse
PTES maintains the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP).[6] This is based on around 400 woodland sites where at least fifty dormouse nest boxes have been put up, per site, that are inspected by licensed volunteers at monthly intervals between May and October. In 2014, PTES collated 6,827 hazel dormice records from 387 sites.[7]
The NDMP has been running for the past 25 years and is run in partnership with
European water vole
In 2015 PTES launched a new project to try and coordinate conservation efforts for the water vole - an animal that has declined by over 90% in Britain since the 1980s.[8] The National Water Vole Monitoring Programme is the first ongoing monitoring scheme for this species in the UK and aims to bring together data from several hundred sites to allow the status of the species to be assessed year-on-year.[9]
Campaigns
European hedgehog
In 2011 PTES, in partnership with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), launched a national campaign to conserve the hedgehog, a mammal that has declined in Britain by at least 25% since the year 2001.[10]
As part of the joint campaign, PTES coordinates the European Hedgehog Research Group and convenes a steering group for the species, based on the previous
PTES also supports research into the causes of hedgehog decline. Some of this is jointly funded with BHPS.
Saving Cats and Dogs
In 2013 the campaign "Saving Big Cats and Wild Dogs" (shortened to "Saving Cats and Dogs") was launched. This is based around a website that provides information about the conservation projects that focus on wild
Reserves
Briddlesford
PTES own and manage 158
Pseudeuparius sepicola.Rough Hill
Rough Hill is a traditionally managed
Associate organisations
PTES is a member of the
References
- ^ PTES homepage
- ^ PTES grants and projects page
- ^ JNCC page for Tracking Mammals Partnership
- ^ Using the dead to monitor the living: can road kill counts detect trends in mammal abundance? George, L. – MacPherson, J.L.1*– Balmforth, Z. – Bright, P.W.1 [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Introduction to the Hedgehog Hibernation Survey". Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^ PTES page on monitoring of the hazel dormouse
- ^ PTES page on the dormouse
- ^ Vincent Wildlife Trust water vole surveys Archived 28 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ PTES website page for National Water Vole Monitoring Programme
- ^ Saving Big Cats and Wild Dogs website.
- ^ Wildlife and Countryside Link: our members