Lying 16km north of mainland Scotland, Orkney is home to internationally important populations of wildlife and one, the Orkney Vole, which occurs nowhere else. But this wildlife is under threat. Find out how the Orkney Native Wildlife Project is tackling the problem.
Find out how the Orkney Native Wildlife Project is protecting native wildlife in this short film.
Orkney is an incredibly rich haven for nature and home to nationally and internationally important populations of wildlife. This includes many species of ground-nesting birds, 15% of the UK’s Hen Harriers, around 6% of our breeding seabirds, and waders including Curlews, Lapwings and Oystercatchers. It is also home to the Orkney Vole, a distinct sub-species found nowhere else in the world.
Like many islands, Orkney does not have mammals such as Foxes, Badgers, Weasels and, until recently, Stoats. This has allowed many species including ground-nesting birds such as Curlews and Hen Harriers, and the Orkney Vole, to thrive.
However invasive non-native Stoats now threaten these populations and, in 2015, a report concluded that they pose a serious threat to Orkney Voles, Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owls and other ground-nesting birds, including Red-throated Divers, Arctic Terns and wading birds such as Curlews.
To tackle this, the Orkney Native Wildlife Project was set up. The project seeks to protect Orkney’s unique wildlife through the largest Stoat eradication in an inhabited landscape anywhere in the world.
Thanks to a network of over 8,000 lethal humane trap boxes, Europe’s first Stoat detection dogs, a team of professional trappers, and the support of local volunteers, the project has removed over 6,000 Stoats from Orkney since 2019.
In this short film, find out how Europe's first Stoat Detection Dogs are helping to find invasive non-native Stoats in Orkney. The dogs' super sensitive sense of smell means they can uncover evidence of Stoats that would go undetected by humans.
The ultimate ambitions are to return Orkney’s islands to their natural Stoat-free status. It is both essential to stop Stoats spreading now and to prevent them from returning in the future. This will involve making sure that there are robust measures in place to prevent Stoats returning once the eradication is complete. We are working with others, including ferry operators, local people and businesses, to develop biosecurity plans for each of Orkney’s islands.
The Orkney Native Wildlife Project is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council, with generous support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the EU’s LIFE programme and the Nature Restoration Fund.
