The Mammal Society, founded in 1954, is a UK charity formed to support evidence-based mammal conservation in Britain and Ireland. Focused on a sustainable future for native mammals, the Society is involved in informing, promoting and enhancing conservation initiatives working to restore mammal populations and their environment.

Before working for The Mammal Society, Matt Larsen-Daw had been leading education programmes with WWF (recently working on BBC’s Wild Isles). Now the CEO of the Society, he is working with local mammal groups essential to the Society’s work. Alana Scott is a communications officer for The Mammal Society. With an MSc in Conservation Biology and Ecology from the University of Exeter, Alana is channelling her passion for rewilding and biodiversity restoration into the Society’s valuable work.

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Matt and Alana on the successes of The Mammal Society, its upcoming 70th anniversary and goals for the future.

This spring, traditional British lawns are out. Throughout the month of May, Plantlife urges us to let our gardens be wild with #NoMowMay. This exciting initiative encourages us to embrace a wild lawn this spring, providing plants, invertebrates and other wildlife the opportunity to make our gardens a home. No Mow May could transform your green spaces into a colourful kaleidoscope of flowers you never knew were there.

From buttercups to bee orchids, here at NHBS we have had an astonishing array of wildflowers in previous years, and we are hoping that this year will be the same!

Knowing when, and how, to mow your lawn to encourage wildflower growth and minimise grass domination can be confusing, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to supporting native wildlife.

This fully updated, in-depth second edition monograph features substantial new information on the Little Owl, whose populations are now rapidly in decline. The Little Owl also includes details on long-term population dynamics, behavioural observations, breeding biology, ecology, genetics, subspecies, and population status broken down by country. Research strategies and monitoring programmes are outlined, while stunning artwork by scientific illustrator and graphic designer Joris De Raedt showcases the beauty of these owls throughout.

The authors, Dries van Nieuwenhuyse, Ronald van Harxen and David H Johnson, generously gave up some of their time to answer our questions about the book, the issues currently affecting Little Owls globally, and their hopes for the future of this captivating species, while in the blog we also showcase some of the beautiful images from the book.