Mammals. Hedgehogs snuffling round our gardens, hares zig-zagging across fields, bats fluttering overhead; often secretive, mammals are an important part of our natural world.

Harvest Mouse, Hedgehog, Brown Hare, Mountain Hare, Otter, Water Vole and three bat species, all present in Barnsley, are national priority species. In this local Biodiversity Action Plan we have highlighted these as Local Priority Species and also included all bat species found locally.

Other mammal species enrich our countryside and small mammals attract predators such as Barn Owl and Kestrel.

Local Priority Species

Local Priority Species include all nine national Priority Species found in Barnsley. These are:

Brown Hare

Mountain Hare -Vulnerable

Hedgehog -Vulnerable

Harvest Mouse

Otter

Water Vole -Endangered

 and three bat species:

Brown Long-eared Bat

Noctule Bat

Soprano Pipistrelle Bat

Three Priority Species are nationally ‘red-listed’ as Vulnerable or Endangered.

There are no other mammals found in Barnsley red-listed.

Otter, Water Vole and all bat species are protected under Schedule 5 of the Countryside & Wildlife Act.

We have also included as Local Priority Species the six other bat species recorded in Barnsley:

Brandt’s Bat

Common Pipistrelle Bat

Daubenton’s Bat

Leisler’s Bat

Natterer’s Bat

Whiskered Bat.

This makes 15  Barnsley Local Priority Mammal Species.

Mammals are threatened by a number of sources. These include intensive farming and land management, a lack of traditional management, habitat loss, decline and fragmentation, lack of food sources, predation, competition, pollution and, for riparian mammals, water quality.

Conservation. The conservation of priority mammal species depends a great deal on the habitat requirements of the individual species, their access to food, cover and shelter, and the threats that they face that include disease, predation and disturbance. Monitoring mammal species populations and distribution is important for informing conservation measures.

For information on priority mammal species follow these links

Mammals