Dormouse SOS

BRITAIN has lost more than half its hazel dormice in 20 years, says a report by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), which paints a grim picture. ‘Dormice are declining in both range and population,’ says Ian White, the charity’s dormouse and training officer, who adds that, alongside the recent, steep plunge: ‘We have lost them from 17 English counties in the past 100 years.’

The report identifies three key factors in the dormouse’s decline. The first and most critical is poor habitat quality because the loss of traditional forestry practices, such as coppicing, is making woodlands less hospitable—in particular, the dense understorey where dormice feed and raise their young has disappeared from much of the UK.

Fragmentation worsens the problem, adds Mr White, with gaps in hedgerows and shrub banks making it hard for the animals to move around. ‘They’re running out of places to live and, if they need to disperse to new areas, they can’t get to them.’ This is compounded by climate change: ‘We have more variable temperatures in winter so dormice come out of hibernation, but... there’s no food for them then.’

Urgent action to re-establish wildlife corridors and improve woodland habitats is vital. PTES provides guidance on sympathetic forestry, which ranges from undertaking small-scale felling to creating glades and retaining dead wood, bramble and climbers (www.ptes.org). The charity is also urging landowners to check the condition of their hedgerows and is asking local authorities to switch to wildlife-friendly verge management. CP