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SITES
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Greatham, Teesside, UK |
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West Site, Billingham, UK |
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Grimsby, Humberside, UK |
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Calais, France |
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Huelva, Spain |
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Scarlino, Italy |
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Teluk Kalung, Malaysia |
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Umbogintwini, South Africa |
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Lake Charles, USA |
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Burnie, Tasmania |
Index
by Category
Appendices
References
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Greatham, Teesside, United Kingdom
Mammals
The mammals of the Greatham site have not been recorded
in the same detail as birds, however; at least thirteen species on
or near
the site (see Table
11) and a number of these are of national or
regional
conservation importance.
The Tioxide site is of particular interest for two mammal species,
Water Vole and Roe Deer. Water Vole (Arvicola
terrestris)
The Water Vole is the largest of the British voles and northeast animals
tend to have rich brown fur, tending to be more reddish on their
backs. Their main habitats are vegetated banks of ditches, rivers
and streams generally where the current is slow (Corbet & Harris
1991).
Status and Conservation of Water Vole
The first complete census of British Mammals published in 1995 estimated
that there were about 1.2 million Water Voles in Britain. Based on
this the Water Vole cannot as yet be considered rare in this country.
They are, however, in serious decline with surveys in 1989/90 showing
that the animals had disappeared from 66% of previously known sites
and that half of these population losses had occurred since 1980
(RSNC 1997). If this trend were to continue Water Vole could have
disappeared from 94% of its previous sites by the early part of the
20th century.
As with many animals the full reasons for the Water Voles decline
are still not completely understood. Habitat damage and loss, often
associated with riverside “improvement” plans, is obviously
one factor. Water pollution and human persecution (in mistake for Brown
Rats) are also implicated at least in the recent past. One of the greatest
reported threats to Water Voles in recent years has been predation
by American Mink (either escaping or deliberately released from fur
farms) that has spread in British wetlands (Jefferies et. al. 1989,
Strachan & Jefferies 1993).
It is worrying that such a previously common mammal has declined
at a rate exceeding that of the Otter, about which there has been
much
concern (Woodroffe 1994).
In view of its dramatic decline the Water Vole is now protected under
Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).
It is also an Action Species in the UK biodiversity programme (Avery
et.
al. 1995) and in the biodiversity audit of the Tees Valley (TVWT
2000).
Water Vole in the Tees Valley
The current status of the animal in the Tees Valley is unclear. It
is probably under recorded and in some areas mistakenly recorded
for Brown Rat to which there is a superficial resemblance.
There are a number of reliable and confirmed sightings from various
Middlesbrough Becks, Coatham Marsh, Belasis Beck, Seaton Common and
Rossmere Park Hartlepool (INCA 1999). It probably also occurs on other
becks in the Hartlepool area.
In the past it was reasonably common in the stells around Saltholme
Pools, in Saltburn Beck and Lustrum Beck at Stockton-on-Tees (J K Smith
pers. obs). Water vole may still occur in all of these sites but if
it does its numbers are almost certainly greatly reduced.
One of the main strongholds for Water Vole is now the wetland habitat
on the Tioxide Greatham site. First recorded at Tioxide in 1997 it is
now wide spread on the site and has colonised newly created drainage
stells which were specifically designed to encourage the voles. Tioxide
supports the conservation of Water Voles on its site as part of the
Industry and Nature Conservation Association (INCA) “Adopt-a-Species”
project.
Water Vole on Greenabella Marsh
Physalia Ecology Consultants have carried out a preliminary survey of
Water Voles on the Tioxide owned wetlands at Greenabella Marsh (Physalia
1999). This has shown high density, resident populations of voles in
the southeast section of Drainage Stell A and around the western shore
of the scrape Pool No. 3 (see
Figure 3). Lower and probably non-resident populations
were found in other sections of Drainage Stell A, Drainage Stell D,
Pond 4 and the eastern shore of Pond 3.
In response to their adoption of the Water Vole under INCA’s
biodiversity conservation project, “adopt-a-species” scheme
Tioxide have ensured that the design and construction of a new drainage
stell on the site is suitable Water Vole habitat, and there are now
signs that the animals are now using this new site. Further steps to
protect Water Voles from accidental harm include the erection of an
exclusion fence around an active development site to prevent vole entering
the area whilst heavy construction work is in progress.
Roe Deer on Greenabella Marsh
Roe Deer are traditionally an animal of woodlands. There has been an
increase in Roe Deer populations in recent years with many animals
spreading from woodland habitats into scrub areas, some urban sites
and, as at Tioxide, marshlands. Deer were first recorded in 1990 and since then the animals have bred
on the site. Currently up to six animals occur regularly.
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