PTES launches competition to create des-res for rare dormice

Farmers and small landowners are under starter's orders as the race begins to find the most wildlife friendly farmer in England and Wales as conservation charity, the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) re-launches its ‘Reconnecting the Countryside' competition for 2010.  This year saw more than 17 miles of hedgerows and almost 1,000 acres of woodland planted by entrants in this annual competition to reward farmers and landowners for their active conservation of woodland and hedgerow habitats.

The competition aims to highlight the importance of woodlands, scrub and hedgerows as both habitats and wildlife corridors, whilst celebrating the efforts made by the farming and land-owning community to protect them for posterity. These iconic features of the British landscape support a huge variety of native wildlife, such as the threatened hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), and other vulnerable species, yet their decline is widespread.

Following the Second World War, the decline of Britain's hedgerows accelerated substantially due to their removal in order to increase field sizes.  In 1946 there was estimated to be half a million miles of hedgerows in England which more than halved by the early 1990s (source: Natural England).  The disappearance of hedgerows has led to woodlands becoming increasingly isolated within the landscape, contributing to the loss of their botanical diversity and associated wildlife.  Today, an equally severe threat to remaining hedgerows and woodlands than isolation is neglect and inconsistent management.

For the hazel dormouse good quality, species-rich hedgerows and well-managed diverse woodlands provide a source of food and a means of dispersal to other populations.  Unsympathetic management and fragmentation of woodlands and the lack of management and loss of hedgerows can therefore have a disproportionate impact on the local dormouse population which may become isolated.  Once widespread in the UK, the hazel dormouse is now rare and vulnerable to extinction: nationally they have disappeared from more than half of their historic range.  So whilst improving woody habitat conservation will certainly have a positive impact on our dormouse population, many other species will also benefit, including other small mammals, bats, birds, butterflies, moths and other invertebrates.

To win the competition, entrants have to link wooded areas to create the largest possible continuous cover of dormouse-friendly habitat by planting, coppicing and/or filling in gaps in existing hedges and woodlands.

For a ‘Reconnecting the Countryside' entry pack, or for more details about the competition, please contact the People's Trust for Endangered Species on 020 7498 4533 or e-mail enquiries@ptes.org. Entry packs contain details of competition rules and guidelines, information about the hazel dormouse, plus booklets giving practical advice on hedgerow planting, cutting and management.

‘Reconnecting the Countryside' entry rules

• The closing date for entries is 15 May 2010. Entrants will be shortlisted in June and the winners announced in September 2010.
• Conservation work must have been carried out in the 12 months preceding the closing date
• The entrant who creates the largest area of continuous good quality dormouse-friendly habitat will receive £1000, with second and third placed entrants receiving £500 and £250 respectively
• Land on which work is carried out must not be in ownership of a conservation body or NGO (e.g. Wildlife Trust, Natural England)
• Work may be carried out by the landowner and their employees or by local volunteers 
• The site need not currently have evidence of a dormouse population or one nearby, however it must be within the dormouse's known geographical range - unfortunately, there are no dormice known in Scotland, so this competition is open to owners of land located in England and Wales only.