Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) was founded in 1975 by the late Honourable Vincent Weir. It is a charity that focuses on mammal conservation in Britain and Ireland. Its Head Office is in Herefordshire, with local offices in south-west England, Wales and Ireland.
Background
Vincent Weir was the younger son of Andrew Weir, second
Baron Inverforth
Baron Inverforth, of Southgate in the County of Middlesex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the Scottish shipping magnate Andrew Weir. He was head of the firm of Andrew Weir & Co, shipowners, and also ...
. He was educated at
Malvern College
Malvern College is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school in the British sen ...
and on leaving school, Vincent joined the family firm, the Andrew Weir Group.
In 1975, Vincent established Vincent Wildlife Trust, to focus initially on the status of the otter. Other species the Trust has been or is involved with include the
water vole,
dormouse
A dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their long, dormant hibe ...
,
stoat
The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...
,
weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...
,
polecat
Polecat is a common name for several mustelid species in the order Carnivora and subfamilies Ictonychinae and Mustelinae. Polecats do not form a single taxonomic rank (i.e. clade). The name is applied to several species with broad similarities ...
,
pine marten
The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and parts of Iran, Iraq and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. ...
and the rarer species of
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s in Britain, notably the
horseshoe bat
Horseshoe bats are bats in the family Rhinolophidae. In addition to the single living genus, ''Rhinolophus'', which has about 106 species, the extinct genus '' Palaeonycteris'' has been recognized. Horseshoe bats are closely related to the Old ...
s,
Bechstein's bat
Bechstein's bat (''Myotis bechsteinii'') is a species of vesper bat found in Europe and western Asia, living in extensive areas of woodland.
Description
Bechstein's bat is a medium-sized and relatively long-eared bat. The adult has a long, fluf ...
and
barbastelle
''Barbastella'' is a genus of vespertilionid bats. There are seven extant species in this genus and one only known from fossil remains.
Species
The genus consists of the following species:
* ''Barbastella barbastellus'' – western barbastelle
...
and in Ireland, the
lesser horseshoe bat.
Mammal conservation work
European otter
The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...
(''Lutra lutra'')
National otter surveys of England, Scotland and Wales began in 1977, with the VWT covering Scotland. In the 1980s, VWT again surveyed Scotland and also Wales and Ireland. In the early 1990s, the VWT also took over the surveying of England. The surveys relied on searching for otter
spraint
Spraint is the dung of the otter.
Spraints are typically identified by smell and are known for their distinct odors, the smell of which has been described as ranging from freshly mown hay to putrefied fish. The Eurasian otter
The Eurasian ott ...
s. The surveys recorded a level of recovery in Britain's otter population between the first round of surveys in the late 1970s and the third round in the early 1990s.
European water vole
The European water vole or northern water vole (''Arvicola amphibius''), is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the water rat, though it only superficially resembles a true rat. Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep br ...
(''Arvicola amphibius'')
The Trust carried out the first and second national water vole surveys in 1989-1990 and 1996–98. These surveys identified the crash in the water vole population in Britain. Following the publication of the first survey, the water vole was given a degree of legal protection in 1998 under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. In 2008, a greater level of protection was given in England and Wales. The long-term decline of the water vole resulted from a loss of habitat and changes in farming practices, but the acceleration in the rate of this decline in the 1980s was down to increasing predation by feral American mink. The status of the water vole is now monitored annually by the
PTES through the National Water Vole Monitoring programme and is based on those sites originally surveyed by the trust.
Horseshoe bat
Horseshoe bats are bats in the family Rhinolophidae. In addition to the single living genus, ''Rhinolophus'', which has about 106 species, the extinct genus '' Palaeonycteris'' has been recognized. Horseshoe bats are closely related to the Old ...
(''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'' and ''Rhinolophus hipposideros'')
The Trust became involved in bat conservation in Britain and Ireland in the 1980s, providing information and advice and helping to set up the network of county Bat Groups that still exists today. In 1980, the Trust purchased a farm building in Devon that is now home to the largest maternity colony of
greater horseshoe bat
The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an insectivorous bat of the genus '' Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe an ...
s in western Europe. Roost acquisition continued over a period of more than 25 years. Today, the trust still manages 40 horseshoe bat roosts in Britain and Ireland
and this also includes, in Wales, the largest maternity colony of lesser horseshoe bats in western Europe. Much of the Trust's bat research has focused on the
lesser horseshoe bat, including a number of radio-tracking studies. Population studies include detailed surveys of the lesser horseshoe bat in Ireland.
In 2008, the trust published The Lesser Horseshoe Bat Conservation Handbook, a practical guide to the management of lesser horseshoe bat roosts.
European polecat
The European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), also known as the common polecat, black polecat, or forest polecat, is a species of mustelid native to western Eurasia and North Africa. It is of a generally dark brown colour, with a pale underbelly ...
(''Mustela putorius'')
The European polecat population in Britain declined following widespread predator control, particularly in the late 19th century. Today, it has recolonised much of its former range. In order to gauge the extent of this range expansion, the Trust has carried out three national polecat distribution surveys since the 1990s, the most recent of which took place during 2014 and 2015. The Trust has carried out research to further understanding of the ecology of the polecat, including live trapping, radio-tracking, investigation of secondary rodenticide poisoning, and genetic analysis of hybridisation between polecats and ferrets.
European pine marten
The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and parts of Iran, Iraq and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. ...
(''Martes martes'')
By the early part of the 20th century, the pine marten in Britain was confined to the North-West Highlands of Scotland and isolated pockets of the uplands of northern England and Wales. The Trust has been researching and surveying Britain's pine marten population for 30 years, monitoring the population and developing survey methods, including the use of DNA analysis.
In 2015, the Trust's Pine Marten Recovery Project began the translocation of pine martens from Scotland to mid Wales. Twenty martens were translocated in the autumn of 2015 and their progress monitored through an intensive radio-tracking programme.
Further translocations took place in 2016 and 2017 bringing the total to just over 50 animals. These animals continue to be monitored using radio tracking, remote cameras and volunteers collecting scats. In summer 2018, the Trust opened a small pine marten information centre close to
Devil's Bridge to tell the story of the return of the pine marten to Wales.
References
{{reflist
External links
www.vwt.org.ukwww.pine-marten-recovery-project.org.ukwww.mammals-in-ireland.iewww.waleslink.org
Nature conservation organisations based in the United Kingdom
Mammal conservation