UK mammals award
Find out how to become a Champion in Conservation for UK mammals!
Mammals play key roles in our ecosystem. They are both predators and prey - voles feed owls and foxes, while also feeding on plants. Some mammals, like squirrels disperse seeds and deer will shape habitats through grazing.
Mammals are sensitive to environment change and are good indicators of biodiversity. Declines in certain species such as hedgehogs and water voles often reflect broader habitat issues.
WHAT TO DO TO COMPLETE YOUR AWARD?
Awards are earned for completing one connect, one action, and one voice challenge on your chosen topic. If you have done all three then you can apply for your award.
Get inspired by some of our resources and ideas to achieve a UK invertebrates award and find the way YOU want to connect, take action and be a voice for change and let us know how you’ve completed these through your application.
1. You can complete this challenge on your own, with friends or as part of a community group.
2. Collect evidence with photos, films or other ways to document your experience and write an account in your award application.
CONNECT BY:
SPOTTING SIGNS AND TRACKS
Tracks (paw prints), droppings, feeding remains (like gnawed nuts or bones), and burrows are all signs of mammal presence.
GETTING UP EARLY OR WAITING TIL LATE
Many mammals are active at night (nocturnal) or dawn and dusk (crespular). Wait for dusk and you might see bats flying around feeding. Foxes and badgers can often be seen late or early in towns and the countryside.
VISIT YOUR LOCAL GREEN SPACE
Different mammals prefer different habitats. For example, voles live in woodlands, rabbits and hares like grassland while seals can be spotted near the coast.
OR CHOOSE YOUR OWN WAY TO CONNECT WITH UK MAMMALS
TAKE ACTION BY:
MAKING YOUR GARDEN WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY
Attract mammals to your garden by providing food, water and shelter. Leave wild patches, grow native species, make log piles and avoid pesticides.
BUILDING A HEDGEHOG HOUSE
This will provide hedgehogs with a safe space to hibernate through the winter and raising their young in the summer Make sure you leave a gap in the fence for them to pass through your garden.
KEEPING A RECORD
Take part in a survey and let your Local Environmental Records Centre (LERC)know what you’ve found. Carry binoculars and a notebook for observations. Apps like iNaturalist or Seek can help with ID.
OR CHOOSE YOUR OWN WAY TO TAKE ACTION FOR UK MAMMALS
BE A VOICE FOR CHANGE BY:
More than a quarter of UK mammals species face local extinction.
Part of conservation is using your voice to create social change around you.
There’s no one way to do this, you could create a poster or artwork, you could create a film or give a talk to friends and family, you could even write to your local MP to make them more aware of a conservation issue you’re passionate about.
Whatever you choose, get creative and do something that suits your way of using your voice for change!
Need some inspiration?
We’ve got some useful resources to help you get on your way to help:
