COAT has established a monitoring system for the invasive Eastern European vole (formerly named the Sibling vole) in Svalbard
Published on: 28. August 2020
The new Reconyx cameras adapted to COAT’s small mammal photoboxes arrived (at last!) in August and have just enabled us to finalize the monitoring system for the invasive Eastern European vole (formerly named the Sibling vole) in Svalbard.
Read more: Community-based actions against an invasive rodent and its zoonotic parasite in Longyearbyen.
The nineteen photoboxes deployed last summer were equipped with cameras and we now additionally deployed 10 new boxes. Four of the new boxes were deployed in Barentsburg in agreement with the Russian governor. After the winter 2018/2019 with abundant voles present in Longyearbyen - the vole populations crashed and there were no signs of vole where the boxes were deployed in August 2019. Now (August 2020) however, there are plenty of vole signs in Grumantbyen and we may expect a new invasion of voles in Longyearbyen during the coming winter. In Barentsburg there were signs indicating that a dense vole population was already present.
Locations of the photoboxes included in the monitoring system for the invasive Eastern European vole (formerly named the Sibling vole) in Svalbard.? Map: COAT