UK Red List Shows Quarter of Mammals at Risk of Extinction

The first Red List of UK mammals has been published by The Mammal Society. The list shows 11 of the UK’s 47 native species are imminently threatened, including the Scottish Wildcat and Greater Mouse-eared Bat.

The review, jointly commissioned by Natural England, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Joint National Conservation Committee, assesses available evidence on mammal populations, threats to their survival and to their habitats, in order to categorise species based on their conservation status.

Threats leading to the worrying trend include persecution, habitat degradation, and the introduction of predators.

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said:

This first official Red List for mammals paints a worrying and stark picture of the state of some of our most treasured species… This Red List provides vital information to help target conservation efforts to best effect, and will help inform our hugely ambitious plans to create vital inter-linked habitats, restore landscapes, and bring back some of threatened species from the brink.

The Red List for Great Britain has received authorisation on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at a regional level.