Ian Powell and the Arun Countryside Trust Few people know the woods on Tortington Common in West Sussex as well as Ian Powell. A local man, interested in natural history, he has lived his life with a passion for conserving the ancient woodlands of the Arun Valley. For two decades Ian, the principal dormouse monitor …

After a difficult start to last year, compounded by vast flooding, Amy Dickman and Ruaha Carnivore Project’s team in Tanzania retuned to work with a vengeance. Giving direct benefits to communities for the presence of wildlife is at the core of their work. They believe if people see wildlife as a resource, they’ll tolerate the …

Birdsong can play a crucial role in tackling post lockdown re-entry anxiety this spring. Though experts warn over 90% of some songbird species have disappeared from the UK, partly due to urbanisation destroying habitats. Birdsong is set to play a crucial role this spring in tackling ‘re-entry anxiety’, which is predicted to become more common …

As last year drew to a close we received a lovely message from Rebecca Klein of Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB). With your kind support, we’ve been helping Rebecca build a brighter future for cheetahs. Thankfully there have been relatively low COVID-19 infection rates in Botswana. Despite the government restricting movement, Rebecca and her team were …

Slow lorises may look cute and cuddly but these large-eyed primates are deadly and use venom to injure and even kill other slow lorises. Recent research has shown that slow lorises use venom as a defense mechanism against others of its kind, something that has previously only been seen in four other species worldwide. Only …

Pete Etheridge writes about the importance of coppicing for woodland conservation and biodiversity. A decline in coppicing Coppicing has been practised in the UK for hundreds (if not thousands) of years. In 1905 (decades after the peak in coppicing activity), it was estimated that there was somewhere in the region of 230,000 ha of actively …

Robin Redbreast – the UK’s ‘national bird’ – is under threat, and wildlife experts are encouraging the public to support robins and other native birds in their gardens this winter. There’s warning of a ‘perfect storm’ for winter birds this December, with reports of a La Nina event set to cause harsh cold spells alongside …

Sustainable, local and ethically sourced gifts, perfect for anyone wild about wildlife. Wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) has released its Christmas catalogue 2020: ‘Gifts for Wildlife Lovers’, which is crammed full of beautiful wildlife-inspired gifts that are low-waste, made from sustainable products, and are locally and ethically sourced where possible. As always, …

Lorna Griffiths, from the Nottinghamshire Dormice Group (NDG), describes how the dormice in her county are delighting the group members. In 2016 I wrote an article for The Dormouse Monitor about the hazel dormouse releases in Nottinghamshire. Since then, the Nottinghamshire Dormouse Project, which focuses on the three reintroductions, Treswell Wood (2013), Eaton Wood (2014) …

Gemma Watkinson, a member of the Lincolnshire Dormouse Group, reports on how their hazel dormice have not been observing lockdown. Dormice find their way into a new woodland This year, even though we were only able to carry out our nest box surveys during August, September and October, the results have been really exciting! We’re …

Neil Bemment, Chair of the Common Dormouse Captive Breeders’ Group (CDCBG), explains what a dormouse ‘studbook’ is, and why we need it.  The Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group (CDCBG) was established in the early 1990s and brought together several like-minded private individuals and zoological collections interested in conserving hazel dormice. As the CDCBG population slowly …

This year has been an extremely difficult one for all of us. However, as an unprecedented global catastrophe unfolded, we’ve been heartened at PTES to hear how our teams on the ground and around the globe have been adapting and overcoming challenges. Zac Hill, from SEED Madagascar, recently got in touch, proud to tell us …