Dogs walked off-lead cause 20% more disturbance to protected lowland heaths

Researchers at Royal Holloway University of London have used GPS trackers to measure where dogs roamed during walks in lowland heaths in South-East England, home to several protected birds like the European nightjar and Dartford Warbler. They found that 85% of the 185 dogs tracked were walked off lead, despite signs requesting dogs be kept on lead during the bird breeding season.

In one reserve, Snelsmore Common, a heathland run by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, the researchers found that over 90% of the area was disturbed by dogs, greatly eroding its conservation value.

During 185 walks, the median distance between the paired dogs and owners over the entire walk ranged between 0 and 134 m, with an average of 20m.

The findings, published in Urban Ecosystems, mean that only small amounts of these important heathland habitats are left undisturbed and available for breeding birds.

“For many of us, dogs are important companions, and they need daily exercise, but when walked in areas of high conservation value they cause significant disturbance.” said Dr Rebecca Thomas at Royal Holloway University of London, who will present this research at the British Ecological Society Annual meeting.

“Lowland heaths are characterised by heather, grasses and gorse and often contain rare species of nesting bird such as the Dartford warbler. But in the UK, pressures on these habitats mean that we’ve lost over 80% of them since 1800, making them incredibly valuable.

“Our findings show that a simple way to reduce disturbance to these habitats with significant value to nature is for dogs to be kept on the path. But evidence shows that compliance with dog walking regulations is at best weak, so land managers need to work with dog owners to provide suitable alternative green spaces or by shutting off key paths, ensuring our land use demands of recreation and conservation can be met.”

Most dog owners wouldn’t perceive their dog to be a threat to wildlife but they can indirectly disturb vulnerable species. Lowland heaths are an important habitat for ground nesting birds, many of which are rare and in decline. These birds perceive dogs as a predator, so when dogs walk off the main path they cause disturbance which could affect birds’ ability to successfully nest.

Another study presented at a previous BES Annual Meeting and published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence found that dogs can also impact protected areas through the nutrients in their urine and faeces, which is particularly a problem for habitats naturally low in nutrients like heathlands.

In the study, the researchers mapped potential areas of disturbance using GPS devices to track the movement of 162 owners and 185 dogs across four lowland heath sites in South-East England managed by Surrey and Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trusts. The researchers combined this data with a questionnaire completed by 798 dog walkers on their dog walking habits. The study took place between 19th June 2017 and 23rd September 2017.

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