The following table provides the latest estimates of UK populations for the bats and newt on the UK list of priority species and habitats. Population estimates have been divided into three components: an actual number of individuals (or populations in the case of the newt), the range which the species occupies within the UK and the population trend.
Species UK population1 Date Range2 Date Trend3 Date Barbastelle bat 86 (10km sq.) 2008 80,939 km2 1980-2006 Unknown 2008 Bechstein’s bat 36 (10km sq.) 2008 31,850 km2 1980-2006 Unknown 2008 Noctule 450,000 (individuals) 1995 158,299 km2 1980-2006 No statistically significant change 1997-2007 Soprano pipistrelle 51,500,000 (individuals) 1995 227,090 km2 1990-2006 Stable 1997-2007 Brown long-eared bat 6245,000 (individuals) 1995 234,142 km2 1980-2006 Stable 1997-2007 Greater horseshoe bat 75,689 (individuals) 2005 50,543 km2 1990-2006 Increase 1997-2007 Lesser horseshoe bat 850,000 (individuals) 2002 58,483 km2 1990-2006 Increase 1997-2007 Great crested newt 971,000 (local populations) 2006 157,749 km2 1980-2006 Declining (slowing) 2008 1 Biodiversity Action Reporting System (2008) 2 Joint Nature Conservation Committee (2007). The report detailing the UK approach can be found here: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/FCS2007_ukapproach.pdf 3 Biodiversity Action Reporting System (2008). Where available, bat trends are provided by the National Bat Monitoring Programme (Bat Conservation Trust, 2008) 4 Based on Harris (1995) 5 Based on Harris (1995) 6 Based on Harris (1995) 7 Population estimate is 5,689 (adults counted at 21 breeding sites) * 2.2 = 12518 (Biodiversity Action Reporting System 2008) 8 Pers. comm. Schofield (2008). The rationale for this figure is based on an approximate doubling of the latest statistically valid figure for Wales (28,000; Matthews & Halliwell, 2008) due to the fact that the total area of the range in England and Wales being roughly equal. (Biodiversity Action Reporting System 2008) 9 JNCC (2007)
The trends are not measured against a baseline. Baseline information is not relevant to de-listing as the viability of the population would be considered rather than a baseline value to which current population levels would be compared.
The criteria for delisting any species from the UK list of priority species is:
Long-term or underlying decline has been halted and sufficient recovery achieved. This represents compliance with the European 2010 target to halt the loss of biodiversity.
All criteria thresholds for selecting UK priority species have been exceeded.
Sufficient recovery has been undertaken to remove the risk of re-selection and immediate deterioration of state.
Some species are conservation dependant and will always require some conservation action even when desired state has been achieved. Where there is a realistic risk that removing a conservation dependant species from the UK list of priority species will result in the action or protection that the species is dependent upon coming to a halt, then the species will be identified as being ‘BAP dependent’ and will remain on the UK list of priority species until this is no longer the case, even if the other success criteria have been met.