Bridging the knowledge gap Hazel dormice have long been the focus of conservation efforts in Britain. In the 1990s Pat Morris and Paul Bright studied them, laying the foundation for the understanding of their ecology and behaviour. Over the years, the scope of research has expanded, not just through academic studies, but also through the …

Lily is a member of the Nottingham Wildlife Trust Keeping it Wild youth team. Having done a diploma at Brackenhurst, Lily has been accepted at Bangor University to study ecology and conservation. In May, 2024, The Nottingham Dormouse Group invited Lily on one of their sessions and this was her experience. Nestled away in the …

New research by 18 global wildlife conservation funders outlines the need to transform conservation action by encouraging evidence-based decision making when awarding grants. Based on their combined 100+ years of experience, they also encourage other grant-giving organisations to direct funds towards the most effective measures only, in a bid to combat the ongoing biodiversity crisis. …

A deadly conflict In the middle of the vast Brahmaputra River in Assam, just off the sprawling city of Guwahati, there’s a tiny, wooded island little more than 100 metres from one end to the other. Called Umananda, it’s chiefly renowned locally for the temple which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and was …

The tradition of celebrating orchards As gathering swallows twitter in the skies ere their winter flight, orchard owners and managers across the UK are preparing to open their gates to the public for the year’s biggest celebration of orchards – Apple Day. In 1990, motivated by the relentless loss of traditional orchards in the post-war …

The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) primarily focuses on tracking the population of hazel dormice and gathering essential biometric data on this endangered species to assess the health of Britain’s dormouse population. However, dormouse nest boxes are often utilised by other wildlife. Over the past 20 years, we’ve regularly asked dormouse monitors to record any …

The first ever National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy has been published by leading wildlife charities People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). The strategy has been designed for conservation NGOs, local councils, farmers, land managers and Government. It highlights the factors causing a decline in native hedgehog populations which urgently …

A major step forward for hedgehog conservation The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 report, published by People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), revealed that the UK’s hedgehogs have declined by between 30-75% in rural areas since 2000. We stepped into action to identify the key threats these hedgehogs are …

‘A common pipistrelle can eat over 3,000 tiny insects in a single night.’ It’s a stat that gets repeated a lot. It’s a common sight on summer evenings, a little after sunset, to see pipistrelles feeding overhead on small flies, midges and mosquitos. Pipistrelles are aerial hawkers, catching and eating their prey on the wing, …

Farmers can now use Land App to assess hedgerow condition and satisfy new SFI scheme requirements, thanks to collaboration with People’s Trust for Endangered Species Farmers and land managers across the UK can now use Land App to assess and record the condition of their hedgerows to satisfy the hedgerow assessment action (CHRW1) in the …

The value of healthy hedgerows Hedgerows have been at the heart of British farming for centuries. However, without the traditional lifecycle approach to management, their structural condition has been steadily declining. Last century, over half of our hedgerows were lost through incentivised removal; whilst recognition of their value has turned this around, it means those …

PTES staff were thrilled about the exciting news that one of the rarest reptiles in the world has had a boost in numbers, thanks to the impressive efforts of PTES partner, Fauna & Flora. Read on for an inspiring report from their team and local experts about the discovery of Critically Endangered Siamese crocodile nests …