Since the last State of Britain\u2019s Dormice<\/em>\u00a0report\u00a0was published in 2019, dormice have been lost from Staffordshire, Northumberland and Hertfordshire. The decline means that they are now absent\u00a0from 20 English counties.<\/p> Habitat loss, degradation and poor management of Britain\u2019s woodlands<\/a> and hedgerows<\/a>, compounded by climate change, are cited as main reasons for the\u00a0catastrophic\u00a0decline in\u00a0the\u00a0new\u00a0State of Britain\u2019s Dormice 2023<\/a> <\/em>report.<\/em><\/p> Hazel dormice are a key indicator species\u00a0in Britain\u2019s woodlands and hedgerows, meaning the presence of\u00a0dormice\u00a0is\u00a0usually\u00a0mirrored by an increased\u00a0animal and plant diversity,\u00a0too.<\/p> The report reiterates the need for dormice to be classified as \u2018Endangered\u2019 on the IUCN Red List, rather than \u2018Vulnerable\u2019.\u00a0<\/p> \u201cIf the decline continues at the same rate, in another 30 years\u00a0dormouse populations will have fallen by 94% since 2000, which we simply cannot let happen,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Ian White,\u00a0Dormouse & Training Officer at People\u2019s Trust for Endangered Species.<\/p> \u201cThe wealth of data from our monitoring programme gives a unique insight into how dormice are faring and contributes to major reports such as the recent\u00a0State of Nature, which drives wider conservation efforts.<\/p> \u201cArmed with the latest facts we need to continue pushing for dormice to urgently be reclassified as \u2018Endangered\u2019 on the IUCN Red List, and we need to start rolling-out more footprint tunnel surveys (as well as nest box checks) in non-woodland habitats such as hedgerows, scrub, roadside and railway verges.\u00a0<\/p> \u201cFootprint tunnels will allow us to gain a more complete picture of how dormice are faring across multiple habitats rather than just woodlands. Once we have data from non-woodland sites too, we can target conservation efforts more widely which we hope will start to reverse the decline.\u201d<\/p> Despite the alarming topline statistics,\u00a0there is hope, with conservation projects, such as PTES\u2019 annual reintroduction programme, bolstering some local populations.<\/p> Since 1993, PTES and partners have released over 1,112 hazel dormice into 25 different woodlands in 13 counties.\u00a0Meanwhile, major\u00a0landscape projects to restore and connect important\u00a0dormouse habitat have been implemented in Wales and Warwickshire<\/a>. And hedgerow planting in Yorkshire and Hampshire is offering dormice safe passage and nesting sites between woodlands.\u00a0The charity continues to install innovative arboreal\u00a0dormouse bridges crossing major roads.<\/p> \u201cDormice continue to face an uncertain future as our climate and countryside change,\u201d added\u00a0Ian White.<\/p> \u201cDeclines on this scale cannot be fixed overnight, so it will take time before we see if our conservation work is effective. We know what works for dormice, but we urgently need increased funding to implement this nationally. Hope is not lost as reintroductions, monitoring, research and landscape projects offer a lifeline – and some populations appear to be thriving – but we need to do everything we can on a much bigger scale to prevent the worst case from happening.\u201d<\/p>![\"Dormouse](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/11\/Dormouse-mother-and-juveniles-in-a-nest-box.-Credit-Selena-Bone-scaled.jpg?fit=1024,1024\")