Dormouse Project: a citizen science project for the monitoring of Edible Dormouse populations in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The Dormouse Project is a citizen science project that has been studying and surveying the Edible Dormouse populations of the Iberian Peninsula. The project started in 2004 at the Montnegre-Corredor Natural Park, because of the lack of studies in the Iberian Peninsula and the few existing records of this species in Catalonia. It is coordinated by the Natural Science Museum of Granollers and funded by the Catalan administration. This project aims to assess the distribution and population trends of the Edible Dormouse by the installation of special nest boxes along the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, it has an important dissemination and awareness-raising role, by conducting different informative sessions adapted to a broad audience. The web platform (www.dormice.org), created in 2020, is a tool that has facilitated citizen participation, together with the creation and consolidation of a network of collaborators within the Dormouse Project. It has helped to compile, store, and manage the data collected by citizen volunteers and interested scientific personnel. The project improves the quality and comparability of data collection by developing a standardized data collection framework. This will harmonise the collection of information between different volunteers and will make it easier to compare data. Nowadays, the platform is getting consolidated, and we are willing to expand its limits, as well as showing its potential as a shared platform within the regions of Edible Dormouse distribution.