The wildlife youth forum offers Orkney young folk the chance to have their say and be actively involved in wildlife conservation in Orkney. Young adults also have an opportunity to acquire valuable insight into a major conservation project, as well as develop their interests in the company of others sharing similar passions.
Activities will be determined by the members and could include opportunities to take part in practical conservation, such as wildlife surveying, in collaboration with the Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP) providing valuable experience for anyone keen in a conservation career.
Holly Peek, ONWP Education Officer, said:
“Orkney is famous for its landscape, nature and wildlife. There is so much creativity here too and we wanted young people to have a voice in what that looks like in the future. There are not many youth forums that has invasive species and wildlife as their focus, so this is a unique chance for anyone with passion and commitment to join in something to make a difference.”
There are many different roles available on the wildlife youth forum which suits all abilities. These range from conservation science, field work to public relations and management. For more information on the eight roles available, and how to get hands-on protecting Orkney’s native wildlife for the future visit: www.orkneynativewildlife.org.uk/get-involved/learning
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NOTES FOR EDITORS:
About the ONWP Youth Forum
Experience isn’t necessary but passion, willingness to learn and commitment is a must to become a member of the youth forum. There are currently eight different roles available for young adults aged between 16-30. Opportunities to join are ongoing.
For young adults it offers:
- Training opportunities gaining valuable experience on the world’s largest stoat eradication in a populated location.
- A chance to meet other young people with similar interests.
- Working in the community to make a real difference to Orkney’s incredible native wildlife.
- Promoting Orkney and its incredible wildlife to international and national audiences.
What the wildlife youth forum is looking for:
- Anyone with a passion for wildlife and willing to speak up and act for wildlife.
- Willingness to develop their skills.
- Interested in attending events, workshops and meetings.
- Confident in sharing creative ideas.
About the Orkney Native Wildlife Project
- More information available on the website, www.orkneynativewildlife.org.uk, Facebook page www.facebook.com/OrkneyNativeWildlifeProject
- The Orkney Native Wildlife Project is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council, with the aim to protect Orkney’s native wildlife by removing stoats, an invasive non-native predator first recorded in Orkney in 2010.
- It has the generous support of the National Lottery through the National Lottery Heritage Fund and EU Life as well as financial and in-kind contributions from partners.
Stoats in Orkney
- Stoats are native to the UK Mainland but not to Orkney. They were first recorded in Orkney in 2010. In 2014, Scottish Natural Heritage commissioned a report: Stoat on the Orkney Islands – assessing the risks stoats posed to native species (SNH Commissioned Report No. 871).
- Stoats are very skilled hunters. They are fast and agile and good climbers with very good eyesight, hearing and sense of smell. They typically feed on small mammals, birds and eggs but can kill prey much larger than themselves. They also tend to kill more than they need and hide (cache) the rest to eat later. With no natural predators in Orkney, they pose a very serious threat to Orkney's native wildlife.
- Stoats are a particular threat to the Orkney vole, hen harrier, short-eared owl and other ground-nesting birds such as red-throated divers, Arctic terns and curlews for which Orkney is internationally important and upon which Orkney’s thriving wildlife tourism industry relies.
- The introduction of stoats elsewhere in the world has had a devastating impact on island wildlife. For example, in New Zealand they are implicated in the extinction of the bush wren, laughing owl and native thrush.