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- - We protect wildlife in Britain and around the world by bringing our most threatened species back from the brink of extinction. We do this through ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
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- - Some habitats contain such a richness of life that we need to protect them at all odds. We are working to preserve ancient woodlands, orchards and wood pastures and parklands, as well as the countless species they support.
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- - Everything we do is based on scientific evidence. We gather this through surveys, which you can take part in, and by awarding research grants to the most inspiring scientists worldwide. This evidence guides our conservation efforts and is shared through our events and publications.
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- - People’s Trust for Endangered Species was set up in 1977 to save our wildlife. We are governed by a board of volunteer trustees and our team of staff are passionate about protecting endangered species and places.
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- - We strive to bring our most threatened species in the UK and around the world back from the brink of extinction. Our successes come from ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
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- - There is nothing natural about the alarming rate at which we are losing animals and their homes. It is absolutely avoidable. We can stop the loss of our wildlife – but we need your support. You can act now by choosing to give to our cause. Thank you.

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Wildlife
- Close
- - We protect wildlife in Britain and around the world by bringing our most threatened species back from the brink of extinction. We do this through ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Wild places
- Close
- - Some habitats contain such a richness of life that we need to protect them at all odds. We are working to preserve ancient woodlands, orchards and wood pastures and parklands, as well as the countless species they support.
What we do
- Close
- - Everything we do is based on scientific evidence. We gather this through surveys, which you can take part in, and by awarding research grants to the most inspiring scientists worldwide. This evidence guides our conservation efforts and is shared through our events and publications.
Who we are
- Close
- - People’s Trust for Endangered Species was set up in 1977 to save our wildlife. We are governed by a board of volunteer trustees and our team of staff are passionate about protecting endangered species and places.
Success stories
- Close
- - We strive to bring our most threatened species in the UK and around the world back from the brink of extinction. Our successes come from ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Get involved
- Close
- - There are so many ways you can help save endangered species. Fancy taking part in a survey, joining us on a wildlife event or becoming a regular supporter?
Shop
- Close
- - Support our work in our shop with a range of charity gifts, home-ware, cards and more. 100% of the profits go directly to help wildlife both in the UK an overseas.
Donate
- Close
- - There is nothing natural about the alarming rate at which we are losing animals and their homes. It is absolutely avoidable. We can stop the loss of our wildlife – but we need your support. You can act now by choosing to give to our cause. Thank you.

Meet Debbie Cousins: dormouse monitor

In this series, we chat to the dedicated staff members, conservation partners and volunteers at PTES. We find out why each of them chose a career in wildlife conservation, what they find rewarding about their work and what they love most about what they do.

Debbie Cousins

Dormouse monitor at Basildon Park in Berkshire

Tell us about yourself and the site you monitor

I work for the Environment Agency as a Biodiversity Officer so many people think the dormouse monitoring I do in my spare time is a bit of a busman’s holiday, but I love it. I think it’s the fact that you get to see and handle the actual animal that is so special, unlike many other mammal surveys where you just get to identify poo! Basildon Park is a large site owned by the National Trust and we have two separate monitoring sites in the park.

How long have you been monitoring for?

Since gaining my dormouse licence in 2014 I’ve been monitoring a few sites in Berkshire. But Basildon Park is the one that has yielded consistent dormouse records each year. Whilst training for my licence I also helped to monitor sites in Oxfordshire and West Sussex.

What’s the most memorable day you’ve had looking for dormice?

My most memorable day was in September 2018 at Basildon Park where one box had a lactating female with seven eyes open dormice. Not only was this the largest number of young I had ever encountered in one box, it also happened to be the day when The Mammal Society were running a dormouse training course on the site. So it was lovely to be able to show the attendees the contents of this box!

Another interesting find was at Peckmoor Copse in Berkshire, owned and managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, where we regularly found toads in two of the dormouse boxes.

You don’t know what you may find on a dormouse survey! (Clockwise from top left: a juvenile dormouse, a hornet nest, a torpid dormouse and a toad found in a nest box. Credit: Debbie Cousins.

Describe your woodland and why it’s special to you

It’s a lovely deciduous woodland in a beautiful setting overlooking the River Thames near Pangbourne and is designated as a Local Wildlife Site. It’s enhanced by the adjacent chalk grassland with a diverse flora in the summer including pyramidal orchids.

What are the challenges at the site?

The steep wooded slopes can be quite a challenge, especially where there are numerous mammal burrows to avoid tripping up on! It’s also open to the public but we’ve never had a problem with people tampering with the boxes and passersby are always interested in what we are doing.

Tell us something about you we wouldn’t expect from a dormouse monitor

My first passion is plants but dormice, in fact all native mammals, come a close second.

Taking part in a box check. Credit: Debbie Cousins.

Can you help us reintroduce more dormice to the wild?

Donate today