Meles meles (L)

Lutra (VZZ) / Vereniging Das&Boom

The 2001 badger survey (NL)

In 2004 the Census Foundation was invited by the mammal magazine Lutra to write a comprehensive article on the badger survey of 2001. This survey was carried out on behalf of the Vereniging Das & Boom for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. Census took up the challenge to publish the findings in English in order to give the results a broad distribution. Here the summary with a reference to Lutra is included. Also the complete article including tables and figures can be downloaded.

Summary
In 2000-2001 a national distribution survey of the badger (Meles meles) was undertaken. The survey was to contribute to the interim evaluation of the badger protection plan of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries of the Netherlands. The execution of this protection plan started in 1984. The outcomes of this survey are presented in this article published in Lutra: Lutra 2005 48 (1): 3-34.

The following aspects are described: (1) the historic development in the distribution, (2) the occupation rate of suitable badger habitat, (3) the development of settlement types, (4) the merger of subpopulations, (5) the continuity of occupation, (6) the output of translocations, and (7) the number of disappeared setts and the disturbances registered. In addition, a comparison is made with the results from the surveys of 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 1995.

The collected data originated mainly from fieldwork. For every 1-km square, the more than incidental use of badger setts was recorded. Earlier research (1995) on the habitat of the badger qualified 15% of the research area (about 25,000 km2) as suitable. In 2001, badgers occupy about 25% of the suitable habitats available to them. The northern and eastern parts of the study area had a relatively low occupation-rate, i.e. 4 to 5 times lower than the rate for the middle and south, where the three largest populations are located. The increase of distribution in the north and east, however, was twice as much as in the middle and the south.

In the Netherlands 4,400 badger setts have been recorded since 1960. During the survey more than 2,500 locations (57%) were visited. In the period 1995-2001, the distribution area of the badger increased with almost 30%. The distribution area of the nine splinter populations even increased by 48%. A decrease of 17% was recorded for the 25 dispersed populations. The average distance between the core populations existing from 1980 onwards decreased from 28 to 21 kilometres. For the period 1995-2001, in the regions of Gelderland-Veluwe and Zuid-Limburg the 18% increase in distribution area remained below the national average (29%). The large population in Gelderland-Veluwe even hardly grew (1%). The much smaller population in the Reest valley, at the border of the provinces of Drenthe and of Overijssel, did not grow at all. In the region of Gelderland-Achterhoek, the growth was minimal if the contribution from translocations is excluded. The continuity in occupation increased.

Since 1960, of the 1-km squares remained occupied in the following year of survey (n=2,536). 1,402 1-km squares were at least occupied once by badgers. Of these, 257 were new in 2001, whereas 253 1-km squares remained vacant after initial occupation. Continuous occupation since 1960 occurred in 115 1-km squares. The remaining 892 1-km squares were occupied more than once, but not continuously.

The three main distribution areas, Gelderland-Veluwe, Maasvallei and Zuid-Limburg, showed an increase of occupied 1-km squares of 36%. This is well above the national average of 29%. These large populations cover 84% of the badger distribution in the Netherlands. The increase must be credited almost entirely to the growth of the Meuse valley population. In the period 1990-1995, the increase of 1-km squares occupied by the three largest populations was 4% below the national average, i.e. 12%. In this period, the growth is concentrated in Zuid-Limburg.

In the period 1987-2001, the translocation of badgers contributed at least 4% (37 km2) to the total distribution of 2001. In this period, 210 badgers were translocated from enclosed release sites at 26 locations in seven provinces.

At least 202 setts disappeared between 1995 and 2001, representing about 8% of the locations visited. One in five was occupied in 1995. The amount of destroyed setts decreased with almost 40% in comparison with the period of 1990-1995. Keywords: badger, Meles meles, distribution, Netherlands, survey, translocations, disturbances, habitat, occupation, Species Protection Plan.

For a complete PDF version of the article (size 4,5 Mb): download.

Gulo Gulo (L)

Wolverines in Finland

In April 2003, the Census Foundation conducted a pilot study on Wolverines in Finland.

The Pilot study was prepared and conducted in co-operation with the Finish Natural Heritage Services and the Finnish Frontier Guard. The research area is situated in the middle of Finland, about 260 km south of the polar circle, countered by the Russian border and has a size of 30 by 10 km. The object of the study was to test research methods and research applications, which were developed by the Census Foundation on behalf of research for badgers (Meles meles). The idea of these methods and applications is to tag data findings to standard spatial squares which makes it possible to calculate distribution and distribution trends. Are these methods suitable for conducting research on distribution, and monitoring of the wolverine-population? Are these methods and applications compatible to the data findings which are gathered by the existing research methods on the wolverine in Finland?

During the fieldwork of this project data on dens and prints of wolverines were gathered. The collected data findings made clear that 4 wolverines were present in the research area. During the study one active den and one temporary den were found.

The conclusion of the project is that the research methods and applications are compatible and that they can contribute to research on the distribution and density of the wolverine population. This pilot project proposes to use the spatial parameter of 100 km2 (10x10 km) to process data findings on locations of wolverine prints and to use the spatial parameter of 49 km2 (7x7 km) to process data findings of wolverine dens. For a PDF version of the research report (size 1,7 Mb): download.

Meles meles (L)

Forstamt Kreis Kleve - Reichswald

Monitoring badgers in the Reichswald

The Forstamt Kreis Kleve manages the Reichswald: a vast wood at the border of the Netherlands near Nijmegen. The badger population in the Reichswald is of supra regional importance. In the past since around 1980 recolonisation by badgers of Dutch territory has taken place out of from this area. CENSUS in association with the Forstamt set up an inventory and monitoring project. CENSUS developed for this a standard. The status of the badger population has been determined since the year 2000.

PDF Dachse im Reichswald bis zum Jahre 2003 (Grösse 0,7MB): download.

Lutra lutra (L)

Otters in Pieniny (PO)

Status and threats of the otter in the Czorsztyn-Pieniny area

Summary
At the end of 2003 in the context of a preliminary study, the Census Foundation conducted a research study on the status and threats of the otter in the Czorsztyn-Pieniny area (200 km²). The area is located in the foothills of the Carpathians on both sides of the Polish-Slovakian border and comprises the Pieniny National Parks.

Research locations were determined based on their strategic situation and spread within the search area and covering the present habitat types (lake, river and stream). Locations were researched in compliance with the international survey standards.

During the research, at about 90% of the 98 places visited, the presence of the otter was established. From the largest of rivers and the lake, up to the smallest streamlet (potok) under bridges and on banks proof of otter presence was found. The otter used all the habitat types present in the area.

A first and preliminary assessment of threats to the otter is made, showing that at least the situation in the dam reservoirs is a matter of concern. The reservoirs are filled since 1997 and are not in an ecological equilibrium yet. Especially the development of the ichtyofauna is subject to dynamics. This picture was based on available results of research on the ichtyofauna (Starmach and Jelonek). The Czorsztyn reservoir also suffers from erosion. Other factors e.g. agriculture and recreation still await further description because of the developments expected in the near future and on the longer term.

Future research
In the second section of the report, indications for future research on the otter are discussed, including means and useful methods that will make the assessment of the otter population and its development possible. Locations of fresh spraints are particularly of importance within this context. Monitoring the situation of the otter can be useful in reference to the habitat requirements of the species, but is not in all cases a direct or complete indication of the quality of the aquatic habitat in general and its value for other regions. To this end the assessment of the habitat is also included in the programme and a.o. an extension of the study area is suggested.

Study on the otters - apart from its value in itself - proves to be a useful lever to assess the situation of the littoral zone and the freshwater-habitat in general and is expected to contribute to the management and development of nature in the future.

To see the slideshow of the area: Slideshow
To download the report.

Meles meles (L)

Vereniging Das&Boom

Registration & Tracking system Badgers (NL)

Introduction
The Dutch nature conservation society Das&Boom was contracted by the Dutch ministry of Agriculture Nature management and Food quality to conduct a national survey on badgers (Meles meles L.). Census was asked by Das&Boom to provide an application which combined several domains of information.

Objective
The application was expected to prepare the field work on the basis of reliable historic data. The application also was to integrate several data sources:

inspection reports

in order to realise a useful repository for all data from existing dataflows which are of importance to Das&Boom. Users of the application are field workers, researchers, research analists and consultants to third parties.

Results
The application was not only useful for the national survey. At the moment the application is in full use by Das&Boom and is used to fulfill contracts and to respond to requests for information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental parties. Further details can be obtained from following download (in Dutch) containing several screenprints.download.

Breeding birds of Moyland

Breeding birds of Moyland

In the spring of 2002, the Census Foundation carried out a research on the breeding birds of estate Moyland in Germany. This survey was carried out on behalf of baron Von Steengracht. The estate Moyland is situated at the south bank of the Rhine between the cities of Kleve and Kalkar. The management of the estate is organised in order to maintain the small-scale cultivated landscape.

Right through the estate runs a closed down railway. With this research, the estate wanted to gather information on the results of the chosen management of the hedgerows, the woodland and the arable fields, especially for the birds that are on the red list of Nord Rhein Westfalen.

In the spring of 2002, all breeding birds of a part of the estate were noted with the help of the method of extended territory mapping (Van Dijk et al. 1996). The results of this research demonstrate that the estate of Moyland accommodates many breeding birds of the small-scale cultivated landscape. Especially high numbers of Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) , Skylark (Alauda arvensis), Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis), Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) and Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) were found present at the estate. Of the most threatened species of Nord Rhein Westfalen, Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) and Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) breed on the estate. It is remarkable that these species were concentrated in the neighbourhood of the closed down railway.