Lost species of Dorset (From Bournemouth Echo)

Lost species of Dorset

9:30am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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When we think of extinct species the Dodo or possibly the great auk comes to mind – but not the red squirrel.

However apart from a toe-hold on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour where it is thriving, the cute red squirrel has been wiped out from mainland Dorset in the past 50 years.

Older residents remember when Rufus was a common sight skipping through Bournemouth’s gardens. But now the only places he is seen in southern England are Brownsea and the Isle of Wight.

The list of species lost to the county in recent times is lengthy, as a major national report which charts the decline and extinction of many English species outlines.

Lost Life by Natural England identifies nearly 500 animals and plants that have died out countrywide, nearly all within the last two centuries.

Dorset has lost one species of breeding farmland bird per decade in the second half of the 20th century – the red backed shrike, cirl bunting, stone curlew, yellow wagtail and tree sparrow, although due to conservation efforts this has now returned to North Dorset.

The corncrake became extinct in the county in the 1940s and the greater mouse eared bat in the 1980s. The Mazarine Blue butterfly fluttered off in 1841, the tawny earwig crawled away in the 1930s and the black backed meadow ant has not been seen at its last known site near Wareham since 1988.

Natural England’s south-west regional director Janette Ward welcomed the report as a timely reminder of the fragility of life and how quickly species can disappear.

“We can stop this happening and arrest declines but it does need everyone to recognise how important our environment is and to act together to minimise the stresses and strains on it. I believe that in the south west we have every chance to achieve this,” she said.

However not all is doom and gloom – damage to heaths, with their important populations of scarce sand lizards and smooth snakes, has been much reduced.

Dorset Wildlife Trust and partners have scored some notable successes in protecting what we have and providing suitable habitats for rare creatures.

The polecat is making a comeback, otters, water voles and bittern numbers are increasing and a lot of work is taking place with farmland birds.

Britain’s rarest spider, the tiny ladybird, was thought to have been extinct since last seen near Bournemouth in 1906, but was rediscovered in 1979 and has been successfully reintroduced at the Tadnoll and Winfrith nature reserve.

Imogen Davenport, the trust’s director of conservation said: “It’s not just a case of changes in national legislation or policy or grants being needed, although that is important.

“We actually can make a difference if we can work together with local people and developers.”

Bats were helped by not disturbing roosts and swifts, which also use buildings to roost. “If we incorporate features that are suitable, there is a good chance they will use them.

“We have been working very hard on this is Dorset, with hopefully some success. It’s important to think these thoughts and do something about it before it’s too late,” she added.