Britain's beloved dormice vanish from our countryside: Numbers plunge 59% in 25 years, charity warns
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Britain's beloved hazel dormice have suffered a devastating decline since 2000, according to a major new conservation report.
Experts say the tiny mammals have disappeared from large parts of the countryside, with numbers plunging by 59 per cent over the past 25 years.
Conservationists warn the species remains at critically low levels and continues to face threats from habitat loss, poor woodland management and climate change.
However, the bleak picture is tempered by a recent increase in numbers, with data showing the population rose by almost 10 per cent between 2020 and 2025 – potentially thanks to a run of warmer, drier summers.
Researchers believe the milder conditions may have boosted food supplies and reduced the need for dormice to enter energy-saving torpor, allowing them to breed more successfully.
Ian White, Dormouse and Training Officer at People’s Trust for Endangered Species said: ‘Our findings offer grounds for cautious optimism for dormice.
‘Although the recent upturn is welcome good news, we mustn’t lose sight of the bigger picture: populations remain almost 60 per cent lower than they were in 2000.
‘This protected native species still faces significant challenges, and urgent, sustained conservation action is essential.’
Hazel dormice are charismatic native rodents, recognisable by their caramel-coloured fur, big black eyes and distinctive fluffy tails
Experts say the tiny mammals have disappeared from large parts of the countryside, with numbers plunging by 59 per cent over the past 25 years
Hazel dormice are charismatic native rodents, recognisable by their caramel-coloured fur, big black eyes and distinctive fluffy tails.
They are a flagship species for woodland and hedgerow conservation, and their presence indicates healthy, well-managed habitats rich in wildlife.
Yet despite playing a vital role in our ecosystem for millennia, they remain locally extinct in 20 English counties since Victorian times and are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ to extinction in Britain on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Nida Al-Fulaij, CEO at People’s Trust for Endangered Species said: ‘The recent population increase offers hope that three decades of conservation efforts are beginning to make a difference.
‘From reintroductions and long-term monitoring to habitat restoration, research and landscape-scale projects, we’ve worked tirelessly to give Britain’s dormice a future.
‘But dormice are far from out of danger. Recovery on this scale takes time, and we need sustained investment and a much greater national effort to build on the recent upturn and progress made so far, to ensure this much-loved mammal has a secure future.’
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