MATHS IN CONSERVATION
We are a nation of citizen scientists!
Nature surveys and wildlife counts have
played an important role in the conservation
of British wildlife for over 100 years. Adults
and children have enthusiastically counted
everything from bluebells to bumblebees,
and from seahorses to squirrels. There is
even a road kill monitoring survey called
Project Splatter (Gross! Ed) run by the
University of Swansea. Its aim is to count up
the number of animals killed on British roads
and map them in order to estimate the
impact of roads on UK wildlife, determine
which species are most at threat and raise
awareness to ultimately try and reduce the
number of road kill incidents.
Some surveys try to answer a
specific question. Others
happen at the same time every
year and aim to monitor populations of
certain species. It is we, the good old general
public, who have access to the information.
All this great data is right under our noses, in
backyards, on school fields, in lakes and in
ponds, on beaches and even in window
boxes. You don’t have to live in the
countryside or on the coast either, there is a
survey to suit everyone!
WHY COUNTING… ERRR
COUNTS
A lot of the organisations that run these
surveys have very limited resources. They
rely on us amateur nature watchers to
submit our findings. Without information
from the public no one could know for
certain which species are thriving and which
are in decline.
By doing something as simple as taking part
in a survey, you could actually be helping to
save a species from extinction! Isn’t that
awesome?
Ian
22
SO, WHAT ARE YOU
WAITING FOR? GET
OUTSIDE AND GET
INVOLVED IN A SURVEY!*
* or wait until the appropriate time and THEN
get outside and… you know the rest.
BEE WALK
When?
March to October
Bumblebees are icons of British summer
time, but they’re in trouble, numbers are
declining across the country. We’ve already
lost two species. To better understand the
reasons why this is happening, Bumblebee
Conservation need data – lots of data – on
where we can find the remaining bees, how
many there are, and what they’re doing. Find
out exactly how you can help by visiting
bumblebeeconservation.org
THE BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT
When?
14 July – 6 August 2017
Launched in 2010, The Big Butterfly Count
has rapidly become the world’s biggest
survey of butterflies. In 2016 over 36,000
people took part. Butterflies are particularly
interesting to conservationists because they
react very quickly to any changes in their
environment. They are excellent biodiversity
indicators. A decline in butterfly numbers
serves as an early warning for other forms of
wildlife. The count will also help to identify
trends, which will help conservationists plan
how to better protect butterflies from
extinction in the future. Visit
bigbutterflycount.org to see how you can
take part this year.
TAKE THE LADYBIRD
CHALLENGE
When?
Summer 2017
Your help is needed this summer in hunting
for the seven-spotted ladybird and the wasp
parasite Dinocampus that attacks it. Visit
ladybirdchallenge.co.uk for more
information.
BE A BAT DETECTOR
When?
April – October 2017
The Bat Conservation Trust runs the Sunset/
Sunrise survey. It’s perfect if you don’t have
any previous bat monitoring experience. Log
on to bats.org.uk/pages/sunset_sunrise_
survey.html to find out more.
And if, like us, you like to be beside the
seaside, there is always this:
THE GREAT EGGCASE HUNT
When?
Anytime
In this instance, an eggcase (we call them a
mermaid’s purse) is a tough leathery case
that protects the embryo of a shark, a skate
or a ray. These eggcases remain on the
seabed until the juvenile animals have
hatched. Then the empty cases are washed
up on beaches, often tangled up amongst
the seaweed. The distribution of different
shark, skate and ray species is changing, and
a number of species are in decline. By taking
part in the Great Eggcase Hunt you can help
the Shark Trust to identify areas of the coast
where eggcases are regularly washed up.
Everything you need for a successful hunt
can be found here: sharktrust.org/en/
GEH_the_project