The Restoration of habitat of the Harvest Mouse (<i>Micromys minutus</i>) in Green Spaces in Rural Areas with a History of Development

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in the habitat of the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) with the change in grassland due to development, targeting the green spaces in rural areas with history of development, and subsequent management status. Furthermore, this study aimed to obtain knowledge on effective nature restoration and conservation of green spaces through continuous grassland management to improve the quality of the habitat of harvest mice. Subsequently, the information about the habitat of harvest mice in the managed grassland was obtained, and an increasing frequency of ball nests was confirmed. Therefore, it is clearly possible to effectively regenerate their habitat and improve its quality. In areas where artificial land use is increasing, the habitat and number of harvest mice have decreased. Hence, active habitat conservation and management is required. The study provided certain knowledge regarding these aspects. As implemented in this study, it is important to select target species according to the uniqueness and characteristics of the region, based on the history of development on green spaces.