Abstract
Abstract Although strictly protected, populations of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius in the UK declined by 72% from 1993 to 2014. Using National Dormouse Monitoring Programme data from 300 sites throughout England and Wales, we investigated variation in hazel dormouse population status (expressed as Indices of Abundance, Breeding, and population Trend) in relation to climate, landscape, habitat, and woodland management. Dormice were more abundant and produced more litters on sites with warmer, sunnier springs, summers, and autumns. Dormouse abundance was also higher on sites with consistently cold local climate in winter. Habitat connectivity, woodland species composition, and active site management were all correlated with greater dormouse abundance and breeding. Abundances were also higher on sites with successional habitats, whereas the abundance of early successional bramble Rubus fruticosus habitat, woodland area, and landscape connectivity were important for population stability. Diversity in the structure of woodlands in Europe has decreased over the last 100 years, and the habitats we found to be associated with more favourable dormouse status have also been in decline. The conservation status of the hazel dormouse, and that of woodland birds and butterflies, may benefit from reinstatement or increased frequency of management practices, such as coppicing and glade management, that maintain successional and diverse habitats within woodland.
Highlights
Critical appraisal of the environmental variables that affect the status of threatened species can help determine the relative influence of factors that might more be modified, such as habitat and management, alongside those that cannot, such as climate (Pressey et al 2007, Groves et al 2012)
The species is categorised on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as Least Concern
Grids of dormouse nest boxes are established on National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) sites throughout England and Wales, and dormice are counted by licensed volunteers up to once a month from May to September, with at least one pre-breeding survey in May/June and one post-breeding survey in September/ October
Summary
Critical appraisal of the environmental variables that affect the status of threatened species can help determine the relative influence of factors that might more be modified, such as habitat and management, alongside those that cannot, such as climate (Pressey et al 2007, Groves et al 2012). Understanding the drivers of variation in status at different spatial scales can allow the identification of regions that offer the best conservation opportunities, as well as the distinguishing characteristics of sites that offer high habitat quality, even when favourable location is accounted for (Erasmus et al 1999, Chalfoun & Martin 2007) Such assessments are especially pressing for vulnerable or protected species facing multiple threats, and where legislation makes action to conserve them a legal imperative (Kolecek et al 2014, Sanderson et al 2016). Understanding the needs of threatened species and whether legislative instruments are serving as effective tools in their conservation are both vital in developing effective policy and practice (Pärtel et al 2005, Ramirez et al 2017)
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