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Byley Village Hall, 17th October 2002
Around 30 landowners and farmers enjoyed an evening of talks and open-floor discussions at the recent Brown Hare seminar. The event started with an impressive buffet and people were given the opportunity to look around the displays provided by rECOrd, Life ECOnet Project, FWAG, The Mersey Forest, Wirral Rangers Service and the Cheshire region Biodiversity Partnership's Countdown Programme (the Local Biodiversity Action Plan for the Cheshire region).
Chris Mahon, Director of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, opened the evening by welcoming delegates and set the scene for the night. He thanked landowners for taking part in the Brown Hare survey and explained how vital it is for the farming community to be involved in the process.
Chris went on to explain the meaning of "biodiversity". He referred to the Convention on Biological Diversity signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and told the audience that from the recent World Summit in Johannesburg we have a target to report a "significant reduction in biodiversity loss by 2010". The work being carried out by the Brown Hare LBAP Action Group is an example of how this may be achieved in the next eight years, however, it will require strong partnership working and commitment within the community to succeed.
Rick Rogers, the Brown Hare LBAP Coordinator, talked about the Brown Hare Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) in more detail, including background and current action. He mentioned the partners that contribute to the process, including Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Chester College, rECOrd and Life ECOnet Project.
Nationally, the Brown Hare BAP target is "to double the spring population of Brown Hares by 2010". Today's population is 1/20th that of the population in 1880. In Cheshire, there was little survey information available for hares. Therefore, a baseline population had to be established before a target could be set for doubling this. The process adopted comprises three phases:
Phase One
A questionnaire survey of 3,500 farms was carried out 2 years ago. From these results a mean population density was calculated. It was determined that the main factors for increasing population were to reduce habitat fragmentation and link population hotspots together, in targeted habitat areas.
Using this information targets were set in the Local Biodiversity Action Plan to:
Phase Two
In this phase the survey information will be used to carry out the mapping part of the project and to create corridors to link clusters of population together.
Phase Three
This will be carried out between 2008-10 and consist of repeating the questionnaire survey and analysing the data again.
Jac Potter of Chester College explained how the survey results were arrived at. 3,500 questionnaires have been sent out in total. In 1999, 876 questionnaires were fed into the computer for analysis, representing a 20% return rate. In Spring 2000 sample landowners were contacted to give over-winter hare population records. A huge data set now exists giving a realistic estimate of population.
From the questionnaire survey it has been calculated that the Cheshire hare population in 2000 was 6133 individuals giving a mean density of 2.41 hares per square kilometre. This is the most conservative estimate arrived at.
Hare numbers appear to be linked to:
Land use
Number of habitats on a farm
Farm size
These factors vary across Cheshire, as do hare numbers. The largest numbers
were reported in south and west Cheshire.
Other statistics reported include 35 different habitats classified, 10 types of agri-scheme, 50% reported poaching on their land in the last five years - 36% hare poaching.
It would appear that across the region problems for hares vary. There needs to be a local solution to issues, such as poaching (which appears to be worse in the north of the region).
Richard May of Forest and District Beagles talked about the annual hare survey. He referred to the inadequacies of national surveys that do not recognise that the hare is nocturnal. The ideal time to carry out surveys is during the evening in April, concentrating on areas where the hare is known to be active.
Richard set out the following practical advice for conducting vantage point surveys:
There followed a 15 minute question and answer session based on the preceding presentations. This was very positive and focussed on landowners finding out how they could help in the process.
Joe Winstanley, of Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), then talked on the subject of hare friendly farming techniques. Hares need good cover to avoid predation. The best farming practices involve:
Joe also referred to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and financial incentives for hare friendly farming. He concluded by saying that hares will only benefit from habitat improvement if they are not suffering from heavy predation or poaching, therefore, a holistic approach is required.
Mike Wellman of Life ECOnet Project and a retired Wildlife Police Officer, talked about the issue of poaching. The Poacher Watch Scheme was first set up in Cheshire in 1990. The main reasons for poaching in the region are:
Steve Hogarth, Police Wildlife Liaison Officer described his role in the fight against hare poaching
The second discussion period consisted of lively debate centred around the issues of poaching and legislation.
The evening concluded with a raffle for those who had completed survey questionnaires, using the questionnaires as raffle tickets.
Overall, it was a very informative seminar that provided lots of information about the work of the Brown Hare Group and achieved positive feedback and idea exchange with landowners that should encourage their future participation in the project.
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