The University Mammal Challenge

(UMAC)

The 2019 University Mammal Challenge will be running for the third consecutive year from 1^st January to 30^th June! For updates follow Mammal Society students on twitter. 

What mammal species live on your campus? How many are there?

The Mammal Society, in association with A Focus on Nature, would love to know! We’re looking for teams of students from Universities across the UK to take part in surveying for mammals on their campus. Win prizes and contribute to UK mammal conservation by putting a team together and joining our annual University Mammal Challenge.

This year, the challenge will focus on using the new Mammal Mapper App. The app was designed to survey mammals using walks along line transects to collect data in a standardised way so that mammal densities will be possible to estimate across the UK.

 

Teams of students will record as many mammals as possible between the 1st January and 30th June 2019. There are only three rules to consider when forming a team:

• Teams must consist of a maximum of five current students – either undergraduates or postgraduates.
• Team leaders must be members of the Mammal Society.
• If there are multiple teams from your university we encourage you to work collaboratively and avoid surveying the same locations so that you cover a wider area.

Not a member? No problem. Simply sign up ONLINE for a Student / Graduate membership. The team leader will be the point of contact between groups and the Society, but it’s a team effort so it’s a good idea to spread the cost amongst the entire team, if possible. If you’ve any questions on signing up, contact unichallenge@themammalsociety.org.

 

Once you’ve signed-up, you’ll receive a Challenge pack, which will give all the details you need to get up-and-running. There may also be opportunities to work with local mammal groups and experts on additional surveys, and get experience of additional survey methods. And it’s a competition, so there will be prizes!

To sign up, or for more information, contact unichallenge@themammalsociety.org. The deadline for team registration is December 14th 2018.

So what’re you waiting for? Get a team together, sign-up, and find out who’s sharing your campus!

Good luck, and happy mammal watching!

University Mammal Challenge 2018