Dormouse appeal

Go nuts for dormice

The ancient woodlands and healthy hedgerows where dormice once thrived are now scarce or in poor condition. After decades of decline, dormouse populations are fragmented and largely confined to southern England and Wales and many are at risk of disappearing altogether. 

Improving habitat is at the heart of dormouse conservation. At our own ancient woodland, Briddlesford Nature Reserve, we carry out the careful, ongoing management dormice need to survive. This includes coppicing hazel to encourage flowers and nuts, managing mature copses so shrubs can flourish, laying hedges, leaving scrub for berries, and maintaining a hazel nursery for replanting. Each year, more than 500 dormouse nest boxes are checked, repaired and made ready for the breeding season. 

This approach is replicated in woodlands across England and Wales, helping to reconnect and restore fragmented dormouse habitats. To understand whether this work is truly helping dormice recover, long-term monitoring is essential. PTES coordinates the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme, bringing together hundreds of trained volunteers and experts. Each year, volunteers carefully check dormouse nest boxes between May and November, recording the number and condition of dormice found. We collate this data to track trends year on year and understand how dormice are responding to conservation efforts. 

Dormouse numbers are naturally low compared with other small mammals so they struggle to naturally return to areas where they have become locally extinct. That’s why each year we carefully carry out dormouse releases to boost vulnerable populations. 

This year, we’ll return to last year’s release site, introducing 38 dormice in breeding pairs. They’re provided with food, water and nest boxes to help them settle safely into their new woodland. Hazel dormice breed slowly compared with many small mammals, so these releases play an important role in helping populations establish and grow. 

Could you help them by giving a gift today? Your support will help protect dormouse habitats, monitor fragile populations, and support dormouse conservation throughout the year. 

Thank you.

Header image credit Lorna Griffiths.