One of Britain’s rarest endangered mammals has been found in Pembrokeshire.
Doormice have been discovered in a Nevern woodland as part of a conservation project dedicated to boosting nature recovery in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Doormice are a seriously endangered species. They are a priority species protected by both UK and European legislation.
The tiny mammals are only found in very few places in the UK. They are difficult to spot as they only come out at night spend a lot of their time hibernating.
As part of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s Cysylltu Natur (Connecting Nature) 25x25 project dormouse boxes have been placed in a woodland in Nevern.
Dormouse boxes are an ideal way of monitoring dormouse populations and provide a warm and dry nesting space.
The boxes can also enhance an area for dormice by boosting the number of nesting sites and increasing the dormouse population.
According to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species nest boxes can remain empty for several years before becoming inhabited.
However, the boxes put up in Nevern, and monitored by a national park licensed volunteer, have shown dormice to be present.
The national park has said that the discovery is very exciting and a ‘thrilling milestone’ for the Cysylltu Natur 25x25 project as one of its aims is building strong networks for dormice in the area.
The Cysylltu Natur 25x25 project is an ambitious initiative aims to boost nature recovery across 25 per cent of the northern section of the National Park by 2025.
It has been funded through a generous grant of £244,450 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, bolstered by an extra £5,000 from the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust.
The project will help connect species-rich habitats to nationally and internationally protected sites, fostering a more resilient environment in which wildlife can flourish.
It works collaboratively with farmers, communities and partner organisations.
Species expected to benefit from the Cysylltu Natur 25×25 project include horseshoe and barbastelle bats, dormice, harvest mice, chough, willow tits, marsh fritillary and small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies, southern damselflies, adders and lichens.
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