Species

A diverse range of species have been recorded in Camden. This includes common and resident species, like blackbirds, recorded over 1,300 times since 1976, to species that have only been recorded once or a few times, which may be rare in the Borough, or hard to find, or both.

Some of these species have declined nationally to such an extent that they are considered of principal importance for nature conservation in England. Over 60 of these national priorities have been recorded in Camden, including house sparrows (60% decline in 40 years), toads (68% decline in 30 years), hedgehogs (46% population decline), and stag beetles. Additional species have been identified not as national priorities but of conservation concern for London, and over a dozen of such have been recorded in Camden. These include bats like common pipistrelles and Daubenton’s bats and birds including dunnocks, peregrines, black redstarts and song thrushes.

While species are well monitored at a few sites, and a few species are surveyed at larger scales, our knowledge of how well many species are doing across Camden is lacking. Looking at the data we have shows a mixed picture, with some species records increasing and other decreasing. This just shows us how frequently a species is recorded, however, not how it is doing. Hedgehog records have increased hugely for example, but this is almost certainly due to increased survey effort in recent years. Some species have not been recorded at all in the last ten years, but it may be that no one has looked for them in the right place or with the right survey method. One of our first Actions will be to review the current state of our knowledge so we can try and fill these gaps, find out which additional species may need our help and how, and work out ways of monitoring them effectively.