FAMILIES in Worcestershire are being urged to use their mobile technology to help conserve wildlife in the local countryside.

The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) wants county residents to download its latest free Mammals on the Road app for iOS9 and above and Android 7 so that people can record mammal they see while they are on the move.

The information from the sightings is used to build up a picture of changes in the wildlife population numbers and aid conservation work.

David Wembridge, surveys officer at PTES, says: “Data gathered from Mammals on Roads is vital to conservation work. The survey has been running for over 15 years, which allows us to compare data year on year, and identify where we need to focus our conservation efforts.”

The new app is part of PTES’ Mammals on Roads survey, which takes place annually between July and September.

To take part, members of the public are asked to record sightings of Britain’s mammals – dead or alive – during car journeys of 20 miles or more on a single day, outside of built up areas. Families can submit as many records of sightings as they want during that period.

David added: “While recording roadkill can be a little gruesome, higher levels of roadkill can actually indicate a healthy population of mammals nearby.

“We hope this new app will engage new audiences, who already have mobile technology at their fingertips, with wildlife conservation and our many fantastic volunteers to who take part each year by logging sightings online or via a survey pack.”

The Mammals on Roads records in previous years helped to identify the dramatic fall in native hedgehog numbers. This led to a nationwide campaign Hedgehog Street in 2011 with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, near Ludlow.

As a result there are now 44,000 Hedgehog Champions helping to protect these gentle creatures from further decline.

Further research is also being undertaken to investigate the reasons behind the decline, showing the true power of citizen science and what the British public can help conservationists achieve.

To take part in the survey this year download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Alternatively, the survey can be completed via the PTES website https://surveys2.ptes.org/surveys/ or via a printed survey pack.

Email mor@ptes.org or call 0207 498 4533 to request a pack to be sent to you.

The survey has already started and ends on September 30.