A groundbreaking partnership between the RSPB, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council, the Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP) is fighting to protect the islands’ rare and increasingly threatened wildlife populations.
A new report published by the RSPB shows that in just four years, the project is delivering on its mission to protect nationally important bird and small mammal communities found on the Orkney Islands.
The first time this work has been attempted in the Northern Hemisphere, the ONWP was created after a stoat was recorded on the islands for the first time in 2010. An invasive predator that the wildlife of the islands was unaccustomed to, the arrival of fast breeding stoats presented a major new threat to many of Orkney’s native species and to the local economy.
Work began in 2019 and a team of international experts have been working with the local community, RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Government to remove stoats from the islands. The biggest project of its kind in the world, over 6,000 stoats have been removed and, using 2019 as a baseline, scientists have been monitoring the difference this is making to native wildlife.
The risk posed by stoats to the biodiversity on Orkney is huge – they have no natural predators on the islands, and prey themselves on birds, eggs and mammals, putting both Orkney’s vole and ground-nesting bird populations under extreme threat.
The elusive Orkney Vole is an endemic species found nowhere else, and signs of their presence are detected by looking for droppings and small food piles of grass ‘clippings’ along vole tunnels within the vegetation. Every year since the project began has seen an increase in signs of voles during spring, recording an increase of approximately 200% between 2019 and 2023.
As well as more evidence of Orkney Vole activity, conservation scientists monitoring the wildlife on Orkney are reporting that there are significant increases in successful nesting attempts of ground nesting birds including the Hen Harrier, which appears on the Red-list of the UK’s Birds of Conservation Concern. Orkney is an important stronghold for this amazing bird of prey. Since 2019, the proportion of successful nesting attempts on islands where stoats are being removed has improved from 36% to 82% in 2023.
The islands are also home to nationally important populations of wading birds including Curlew and Lapwing, which are both Red-listed on the UK’s list of Birds of Conservation Concern, as well as the Amber-listed Oystercatcher. Despite a slight drop in 2023, nest success rates were still higher than in 2019 when the Orkney Native Wildlife Project began, and more than three times higher for Curlew and Oystercatcher.
The report notes that while there are several factors that play into nest success rates for all species, one constant over the past five years has been the removal of invasive non-native stoats.
Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland said: “This is a success story for conservation against the backdrop of a nature crisis that is pushing more of Scotland’s wildlife to the brink. Working in partnership on the biggest project of its kind ever attempted, we are restoring the natural balance to Orkney. The accidental introduction of stoats to the islands has had a devastating effect on our wildlife, especially smaller mammals and ground nesting birds. Today’s report is a strong indication that our work is making a difference…The work is now at a critical stage and we are looking for additional financial support so we can finish the job. Through the continued support of the National Lottery and NatureScot, we are over halfway to securing the funding we need and are calling on individuals to help us protect and defend the wildlife of Orkney.”
For more information about the project and how you can support the efforts to protect the unique and rare species found on the islands visit: www.rspb.org.uk/orkney-project
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