Kirsty Nutt outlines the results of the Orkney Native Wildlife Project community consultation which were announced today.
The results of the Orkney Native Wildlife Project community consultation revealed overwhelming support for its proposal to protect Orkney’s internationally important wildlife and the team want to say a HUGE thanks to everyone who has so far contributed support and feedback.
For those of you who don’t know, the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, which is a partnership between Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and RSPB Scotland and has the generous support of the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, aims to protect Orkney’s native wildlife by removing stoats, an invasive non-native predator that was first recorded in Orkney in 2010. You can read more here: https://bit.ly/2H9Umdf
Between November and February, to gauge the level of local support for this project, a comprehensive consultation was carried out. This included face-to-face consultations at public drop-in events across Mainland Orkney and the isles, talks, meetings with stakeholders (including teachers and community groups), and a questionnaire.
Amy and Dani at the Shapinsay consulation event
As well as raising awareness, answering people’s queries and addressing concerns throughout the consultation, the questionnaires asked specific questions about people’s support for Orkney’s wildlife, the proposal to eradicate stoats and how people would like to be involved during the main project.
Family activities at the drop-in events
It was great to get nearly 900 completed questionnaires from around Orkney – this is approximately 4% of the islands’ entire population.
The results indicated extensive support for Orkney’s wildlife and the project:
We are delighted that Orcadians have shown such strong support for Orkney’s wildlife and given such a significant vote of approval to the Orkney Native Wildlife Project. The comments and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and invaluable in providing guidance for the next stages of the project.
Orcadians will be able to be directly involved with the delivery of the project which will also provide a range of training opportunities including wildlife monitoring, an educational programme, support for tourism providers and a range of activities. Information gathered from each element of the consultation is now being used to develop the plans for the delivery phase of the project.
Despite inevitable challenges to come with such an ambitious project, we (RSPB Scotland and SNH) are looking forward to working in partnership with Orkney Islands Council and communities across Orkney to safeguard the future of the Orkney vole and the many internationally important populations of birds that rely on Orkney.
Curlews at Brodgar by Alan Leitch
The development of the Orkney Native Wildlife Project would not be possible without the generous support of the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund. Funding of £64,600 for a nine-month development phase has allowed the partnership to consult widely with the local community and stakeholders and optimise the technical aspects of the eradication.
You can keep up to date with the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, including their weekly ‘Stoat Snippets’ on the Orkney Native Wildlife Project Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OrkneyNativeWildlifeProject