Submitted by PBMS Admin on
“What do raptors tell us about our urban environment?” That was the subject of a presentation given by Lee Walker, principal scientist for the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS), in UKCEH’s internal workshop on urban-related science.
“Raptors are not an immediately obvious sentinel for the urban environment, but species such as peregrine falcons do live in city centres and species such as sparrowhawks and tawny owls are frequently found in suburban areas” comments Lee “and as we look to make our towns and cities greener to mitigate flooding and air pollution these areas may become a more important habitat for such species”.
“In addition the tissue archive generated by the PBMS can be used for more than contaminant monitoring, one example being the use of tissues for studies on genetic diversity of populations”.
UKCEH will look to develop a portfolio of services, tools and case studies addressing the challenges that we face in the urban environment.
