Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) was founded in 1975 by the Honourable Vincent Weir (1935-2014). It is a charity that focuses on mammal conservation in Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe. Its Head Office is in Herefordshire.
Background Vincent Weir was the younger son of Andrew Weir, second Baron Inverforth. He was educated at Malvern College and on leaving school, Vincent joined the family firm, the Andrew Weir Group. In 1975, Vincent established Vincent Wildlife Trust to focus initially on the status of the otter. Other species the Trust has been or is involved with include the water vole, dormouse, stoat, weasel, polecat, pine marten and the rarer species of bats in Britain, notably the horseshoe bats, Bechstein's bat and barbastelle and in Ireland, the lesser horseshoe bat.
Today Vincent Wildlife Trust's Vision is that the Trust is a catalyst for mammal conservation. Its Mission is to conserve threatened mammals by leading the way with scientifically sound conservation work. Survey and monitoring, research, education, training and advocacy together represent the current work of VWT. Read its Ten-Year Strategy, which underpins the current direction of VWT’s work.
Mammal conservation work
European otter (Lutra lutra) National otter surveys of England, Scotland and Wales began in 1977, with the VWT covering Scotland. In the 1980s, VWT again surveyed Scotland and also Wales and Ireland. In the early 1990s, the VWT also took over the surveying of England. The surveys relied on searching for otter spraints. The surveys recorded a level of recovery in Britain's otter population between the first round of surveys in the late 1970s and the third round in the early 1990s.
European water vole (Arvicola amphibius) The Trust carried out the first and second national water vole surveys in 1989-1990 and 1996–98. These surveys identified the crash in the water vole population in Britain. Following the publication of the first survey, the water vole was given a degree of legal protection in 1998 under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. In 2008, a greater level of protection was given in England and Wales. The long-term decline of the water vole resulted from a loss of habitat and changes in farming practices, but the acceleration in the rate of this decline in the 1980s was down to increasing predation by feral American mink. The status of the water vole is now monitored annually by the PTES through the National Water Vole Monitoring programme and is based on those sites originally surveyed by the trust.
Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Rhinolophus hipposideros) The Trust became involved in bat conservation in Britain and Ireland in the 1980s, providing information and advice and helping to set up the network of county Bat Groups that still exists today. In 1980, the Trust purchased a farm building in Devon that is now home to the largest known maternity colony of greater horseshoe bats in western Europe. Roost acquisition continued over a period of more than 25 years. Today, the Trust still manages 36 horseshoe bat roosts in Britain and Ireland and this also includes, in Wales, the largest known maternity colony of lesser horseshoe bats in western Europe. Much of the Trust's bat research has focused on the lesser horseshoe bat, including a number of radio-tracking studies. Population studies include detailed surveys of the lesser horseshoe bat in Ireland. In 2008, the Trust published The Lesser Horseshoe Bat Conservation Handbook, a practical guide to the management of lesser horseshoe bat roosts. In 2021, following the discovery of a small colony of breeding greater horseshoe bats in a derelict stable in West Sussex —the first record in 100 years in southeast England, Vincent Wildlife Trust launched an appeal in partnership with Sussex Bat Group to raise funds to buy the building and to turn it into a suitable maternity roost for this rare species. The appeal was successful and the bats have a chance to once again thrive in part of their former ranges. VWT's Horseshoes Heading East, a partnership project with funding from Natural England's Species Recovery programme, aims to create a viable population of greater horseshoe bats in southeast England through a combination of roost creation and habitat enhancement. Improving connectivity across the landscape and linking maternity sites to improve the breeding success of this rare and iconic species. The project will also support other rare bat species such as the greater mouse-eared bat and the grey long-eared bat. In Ireland, VWT Ireland's Lesser Horseshoe Bat Conservation Project was an EIP (European Innovation Partnership) project that was administered by Mulcair Catchment Ltd and funded by the EU Recovery Instrument Funding under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2022. The project has provided new and permanent summer roosting sites for the species in lowland locations within the Mulkear River Catchment and raised awareness of the important role that farmers play in its conservation. The new roosts are located on farms within a few kilometres of waterways or woodlands that will, in time, increase the chances of this species being able to connect with colonies in other areas of Limerick and reduce the risk of inbreeding. VWT Ireland has also carried out a modelling study funded by National Parks and Wildlife Service during 2020 to investigate gaps in the distribution of the lesser horseshoe bat in Ireland over its entire range. The study incorporates datasets on land cover, roads, linear habitat features and density of artificial lighting to produce a baseline map of potential ecological corridors to connect lesser horseshoe bat sub-populations.
European polecat (Mustela putorius) The European polecat population in Britain declined following widespread predator control, particularly in the late 19th century. Today, it has recolonised much of its former range. In order to gauge the extent of this range expansion, the Trust has carried out three national polecat distribution surveys since the 1990s. The fourth national polecat survey was launched at the beginning of January 2024. The Trust has carried out research to further understanding of the ecology of the polecat, including live trapping, radio-tracking, investigation of secondary rodenticide poisoning, and genetic analysis of hybridisation between polecats and ferrets.
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