The Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP) is protecting vulnerable species from predation by invasive Stoats.
Some 11% of UK-breeding seabirds nest on Orkney, along with more than a fifth of the UK’s breeding Hen Harrier, and many Lapwing and Curlew. Stoats have been posing a huge threat to these birds and the Orkney Vole since 2010.
The ONWP, an ambitious Stoat eradication project, was launched in 2019 and includes Europe’s first Stoat detection dogs. Six trained conservation dogs are now regularly deployed to sniff out Stoats and alert their location to trappers. So far, the project has removed more than 5,000 Stoats, and breeding birds are safer – 82% of Oystercatcher nests were unaffected by predation in 2022, and more Curlew nests are also surviving.
This work wouldn’t be possible without the 900+ landowners and volunteers who have so far donated some 12,000 hours. This partnership between the RSPB, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council receives support from EU Life and National Lottery Heritage Fund.
