News

What is the ‘Wildlife Assessment Check’ tool? Whether a development site is in a rural or urban area, it’s vital that wildlife and habitat value are considered to avoid habitat loss, fragmentation and the damaging impact of daily human activity on the land. Development sites can put pressure on the biodiversity of a particular habitat, …

Our New Year kicked off with a trip to the Oxford REAL Farming Conference. Here we talked to farmers about how they can help conserve endangered species such as hedgehogs, and precious habitats such as orchards and hedgerows on their land.   The conference has been running for 10 years and brings together thousands of …

Hedgerows are not only a significant feature of our countryside but they are one of the most important farmland habitats. They are home to an incredible array of wildlife, they allow wildlife to safely move across the country, and they deliver so many benefits to farmers and environment when properly managed.    Home Sweet Home …

Slow lorises are under threat for many reasons. They are targeted for the illegal pet trade because they look so appealing; their forest habitat is being degraded and cut down; and they also face a multitude of threats as a consequence of an ever-changing climate. We are working with the Little Fireface Project to combat this …

Hedgehog Street reveals which counties are recording the most hedgehog sightings For the first time we can revealed the counties across the British Isles who are recording the most (and least!) number of native hedgehog sightings. The Hedgehog Street team are calling for more people to record their sightings of Britain’s favourite mammal online, to …

Water voles numbers have plummeted by around 90%, one of the most rapid and serious declines of any British wild mammal ever. But an unusual population of city dwelling water voles has given hope for the future for this charismatic animal. In this blog post Robyn Stewart from the Water Voles in the City project …

The Sumatran elephant, a subspecies of the Asian elephant, is critically endangered and is found only in Sumatra, Indonesia. However, the lack of information about Sumatran elephant distribution, habitat use and home ranges makes it difficult to plan effective conservation strategies, and further research is needed to prevent their extinction. Researching elephants isn’t always straight …

Mixed news for reintroduced dormice This weekend saw the second check for the dormice that were reintroduced into a Warwickshire woodland this summer. The great news is 27 adults plus young were found at the site which is what is expected for this time in a reintroduction.  The bad news is that for the first …

Mongolia is home to the second largest snow leopard population in the world, but sadly their numbers continue to plummet. Like many big cats, they are persecuted in retaliation for killing livestock and hunted for their fur as their home territory is becoming increasingly shared with humans. In this guest blog post Bayara Agvaantseren gives us an insight …

Just as we depend on the UK’s farmland for much of the food we eat every day, so does lots of our wildlife. But over the decades our farming policies have had an unintended effect, dramatically reducing other countryside qualities that we need and value: like wildlife, landscape character, and water, air and soil quality. …

Illegal gold mining activities and deforestation have severely affected the habitat of giant otters in the Peruvian amazon. However, the full extent of these human threats on giant otters are not well understood yet. People’s Trust for Endangered Species has teamed up with Adi  Barocas in Peru, to understand what is happening and what we can do …

Results from the first systematic survey of rural hedgehog populations in England and Wales using footprint tracking tunnels has been published in Scientific Reports. Summary of findings This was the first systematic survey of rural hedgehog populations in England and Wales using footprint tracking tunnels to measure the presence / absence of hedgehogs Hedgehogs were present …