Geological and land use influences on Badger sett densities across South Yorkshire

摘要

Badgers Meles meles generally prefer to excavate their setts into a steep or even vertical surface (Paget & Middleton 1969, 1974); it is therefore understandable that their distribution should reflect the prevailing topography and geology. From data available in the archived Mammal Society Yorkshire Badger Sett Survey files and data from Mike Dyson, one-time member of the South Yorkshire Badger Group, it has been possible to examine the geographical distribution of 208 setts known to be active from 1974 to 1988 across the Metropolitan County of South Yorkshire. This has revealed an intriguing association with the exposed solid geology, the history of human exploitation of mineral resources, the management of arable agricultural landscapes across the Holocene drift geology and the fluctuating performance of the Sherwood sandstone aquifer in the east of the region.