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 created in response to trends highlighted in the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 report, also published by BHPS and PTES, which revealed that native hedgehogs have declined by between 30-75% in rural areas since 2000.
To tackle this ongoing decline, BHPS and PTES have worked collaboratively with over 30 leading conservation NGOs, academics, educational institutions, hedgehog rehabilitators and organisations within the transport and farming sectors, to create a topline, national strategy that can guide the change that’s desperately needed.
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 need addressing over the coming decade in order to halt the decline and restore numbers in rural and urban Britain.
It was developed through a collaborative process facilitated by the Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission.
The CPSG has supported governments, NGOs, and civil society groups worldwide for more than 40 years, designing and facilitating strategies to recover threatened species.
The process to develop the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy brought together experts to identify key threats - including habitat fragmentation and a decrease in natural invertebrate prey – and how to overcome them.
The strategy will evolve as new research findings become available and will act as a framework and reference point for all actions relating to hedgehogs in Britain.
It also complements the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme, launched earlier this year by BHPS and PTES, which will provide invaluable data on population changes at a local and national level.
Nida Al-Fulaij, Co-Author of the National Conservation Strategy and CEO of People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) explained: “By identifying the key threats hedgehogs are facing and how they are all connected, we can better understand the actions needed to address them; but we can’t do this alone.
“The National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy acts as a framework for collaboration between policymakers, conservationists, landowners, rehabilitators and communities. Coordinated efforts nationally, regionally and locally are the only way we can achieve our ambition of halting the decline in hedgehogs, and ensuring that this iconic native species becomes a common sight in our towns and countryside once again.”
Fay Vass, CEO of The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) added: “This strategy is a real moment for hedgehog conservation, as we look ahead to another decade where together we can make real change.”
The strategy has been created in response to trends highlighted in the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 report, also published by BHPS and PTES, which revealed that native hedgehogs have declined by between 30-75% in rural areas since 2000.
To tackle this ongoing decline, BHPS and PTES have worked collaboratively with over 30 leading conservation NGOs, academics, educational institutions, hedgehog rehabilitators and organisations within the transport and farming sectors, to create a topline, national strategy that can guide the change that’s desperately needed.
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 need addressing over the coming decade in order to halt the decline and restore numbers in rural and urban Britain.
It was developed through a collaborative process facilitated by the Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission.
The CPSG has supported governments, NGOs, and civil society groups worldwide for more than 40 years, designing and facilitating strategies to recover threatened species.
The process to develop the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy brought together experts to identify key threats - including habitat fragmentation and a decrease in natural invertebrate prey – and how to overcome them.
The strategy will evolve as new research findings become available and will act as a framework and reference point for all actions relating to hedgehogs in Britain.
It also complements the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme, launched earlier this year by BHPS and PTES, which will provide invaluable data on population changes at a local and national level.
Nida Al-Fulaij, Co-Author of the National Conservation Strategy and CEO of People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) explained: “By identifying the key threats hedgehogs are facing and how they are all connected, we can better understand the actions needed to address them; but we can’t do this alone.
“The National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy acts as a framework for collaboration between policymakers, conservationists, landowners, rehabilitators and communities. Coordinated efforts nationally, regionally and locally are the only way we can achieve our ambition of halting the decline in hedgehogs, and ensuring that this iconic native species becomes a common sight in our towns and countryside once again.”
Fay Vass, CEO of The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) added: “This strategy is a real moment for hedgehog conservation, as we look ahead to another decade where together we can make real change.”
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