For more than 25 years The Vincent Wildlife Trust has been supporting wildlife conservation through research, surveys and the establishment and management of reserves for mammals (primarily bats).
In the 1970s, when the scale of the otter's pesticide-induced decline became apparent in Britain, the Trust became heavily involved in otter conservation. Its Otter Haven Project helped to protect and improve riparian habitats in strategic areas in England and Wales, enabling fragile populations to survive and recover.
Subsequently, the Trust made a major contribution to a series of nationwide otter distribution surveys in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Its staff visited other European countries to survey vulnerable otter populations, and helped to train local naturalists in the use of survey techniques.
Another contribution has been the mass production and free distribution of fyke net guards to prevent otters from drowning in such nets. The Trust has also rescued many injured and orphaned otters, rehabilitating them to the wild in a release project to repopulate the River Derwent in North Yorkshire. Otters are now recovering well in Britain, and other organisations (notably the Environment Agency and The Wildlife Trusts) are leading the effort on otter monitoring and practical conservation work.
Since 1980, when its first bat reserve was acquired, the VWT has been active in bat conservation in the British Isles. It has given substantial support to the voluntary bat movement through grant aid, and through advice provided by a team of national bat officers. The Trust has funded a series of research projects on the feeding and roosting requirements of rarer bats, such as the horseshoe bats. It has played an important part in public education through the production of a range of literature about bat conservation.
In 1983 the VWT undertook the first survey of the pine marten in Britain, providing evidence that subsequently helped to achieve legal protection for the species.
The Trust has played a key role in efforts to conserve the water vole in Britain. In 1989-1990 it undertook the first national survey of the species, which revealed the scale of its decline and prompted conservation action on a number of fronts, including legal protection.
During the 1990s a series of studies focused on the recovery of the polecat in Britain. The Trust also launched a scheme for recording the presence of elusive populations of the pine marten in England and Wales.
Since 1996 the VWT has concentrated its resources on bat conservation, and particularly on the protection and enhancement of roosts for rare bats. It has also maintained its involvement with conservation-led research and survey work on pine martens, polecats, water voles and dormice.