Monitoring of small rodents and other small mammals

Data from the environmental monitoring of small rodents and other small mammals includes information on changes in the populations of bank voles, tundra voles, grey voles, short-tailed field voles, northern red-backed voles, wood lemmings, Norway lemmings and common shrews at eight sites in southern, central and northern Sweden.

One of the aims of the monitoring programme is to provide background data for interpreting any changes in the reproduction and population of carnivores. The programme should also be able to detect deviations from the normal density fluctuations of small rodents that may indicate disturbances in their reproduction, for example due to environmental toxins, disease, landscape changes or hitherto unknown factors.

The longest time series come from Vindeln in Västerbotten, where monitoring started in 1971. The monitoring of small rodents (and other small mammals) is one of many sub-programmes in the National Environmental Monitoring under the auspices of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

Data can be downloaded from the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies: Ladda ner Excel-filer med fångstindex (In Swedish).

One of the eight areas being monitored is located at SLU Grimsö wildlife research station, which is part of the national infrastructure SITES. Data from Grimsö can also be downloaded from the SITES data portal: Small rodent dynamics from Grimsö, Centroid of Research Area.