Annual Mammals on Roads survey returns this August as school holidays start

Annual Mammals on Roads survey returns this August as school holidays start - PTES

Screenshots from the Mammals on Roads app. Credit PTES

Staycationers asked to record roadkill via free app, to help conserve Britain’s mammals

Volunteers across England, Scotland and Wales are being asked to record any sightings of roadkill that they see on Britain’s roads via a free app, to help conservation.

The Mammals on Roads app is part of wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species’ (PTES) annual survey, which starts this August. PTES hopes that as the number of staycations to visit Britain’s coastline, lakes and peaks increase, more people will be able to take part this year.

Now, PTES is asking families, groups of friends and couples travelling on Britain’s roads to download the app and record any sightings of mammals they spot from their car or campervan. The data collected will help conservationists to identify population trends, and importantly, which mammal species are most in need of help and where conservation action is needed.

David Wembridge, Mammal Surveys Coordinator at PTES says: “Nobody likes seeing roadkill, but counting casualties can help conservation. Many of our native mammals are declining in number. We need all the help we can get to find out which species are at risk and try to turn their fate around. Mammals on Roads is one of the few countryside-based wildlife surveys, and it couldn’t be easier to take part. If you have a smartphone, and are travelling as a passenger, we hope you’ll record sightings across the country on trips to different parts of Britain this summer.”

The Mammals on Roads app is free and easy to use. It boasts colourful illustrations of each mammal and has audio descriptions to help guide anyone who’s not sure what they’ve seen. So whether you see an easily recognisable hedgehog, fox or badger, or a trickier-to-spot stoat or weasel, anyone can take part. Mammals on Roads has been running since 2001 and, along with other long-running surveys led by PTES, its data has helped identify the decline in native hedgehogs. Thanks to the many volunteers who take part each year, PTES is building a nationwide picture of how mammal numbers are changing, which is crucial to ensure their long-time survival.

Find other citizen science projects looking for volunteers on the CJS Volunteer Directory here