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13 Oct 2011 10:18
Conservation work leads to dormouse deluge in Sussex woodland
One of the country's rarest species is making its home within Hargate Forest near Tunbridge Wells, thanks to conservation work by landowner the Woodland Trust.
The charity has recently installed 50 dormice boxes within the 150 acre wood, 10 of which have so far been found to contain evidence of nests, with seven dormice so far being counted. The Trust is continuing to monitor the boxes in Hargate, one of several woods across the South East in which dormice numbers are being recorded as part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme run by the People's Trust for Endangered Species.
Sandy Williamson is the site manager and resident dormouse specialist at the Woodland Trust: "It's fantastic news to see such widespread evidence of dormice in Hargate so soon. Hargate doesn’t provide the textbook habitat that people think dormice need, but in fact any woodland that has a good canopy cover, bramble and insects can provide a home for them."
One of the Trust's main aims is woodland creation, the charity's Jubilee Woods project is marking the Diamond Jubilee by planting 6 million trees and the charity as a whole is looking to double native woodland cover across the UK. Providing habitats for a wide range of wildlife is one of the main benefits as Sandy continues:
"Dormice will ‘travel’ between woods if they are connected with what we know as wildlife corridors, such as good hedge networks. In woods where we know we have dormouse populations we leave overhanging branches when widening rides and create pinch points to help them move across.
Contrary to popular belief dormice don’t just eat hazelnuts, they have quite a wide diet so need a wide range of food sources at different times of the year. Our work with woodland extension and new woodland creation helps increase their habitat."
Work at Hargate Forest has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, through the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme (WFRLPS), co-ordinated by the High Weald Joint Advisory Committee. To find out more about the Woodland Trust's work or get involved in woodland creation go to woodlandtrust.org.uk/planting; for more information on the WFRLPS and High Weald go to www.highweald.org
Notes to Editors:
Heritage Lottery Fund: Using money raised through the National Lottery, since 1994 the Heritage Lottery Fund has not only revitalised hundreds of museums, parks, historic buildings, landscapes and wildlife sites, but has also given new meaning to heritage itself. People from every walk of life are now involved with the heritage that inspires them, making choices about what they want to keep and share from the past, for future generations. HLF has supported more than 33,900 projects, allocating over £4.4 billion across the UK.
The Weald Forest Ridge is a deeply incised and faulted sandstone ridge that runs west to east, in an almost unbroken line, from Horsham to Tunbridge Wells, covering 328km2 of West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent. It is the highest ridge of one of England’s Finest Landscapes, the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is surrounded by eight neighbouring towns: Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough, East Grinstead, Crawley, Horsham, Haywards Heath and Uckfield.
The High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of England’s Finest Landscapes. It is a medieval landscape of rolling hills draped by small, irregular fields, abundant woods and hedges, scattered farmsteads, and sunken lanes. It covers parts of 4 counties – East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent and Surrey, in the rural heart of South East England. It was designated an AONB by the Government in 1983 to conserve and enhance its natural beauty. It is the fourth largest AONB in England and Wales, covering 563 square miles (1,457km2). Website: www.highweald.org
The High Weald AONB Joint Advisory Committee is a partnership of Natural England and 15 local authorities. Its specialist staff team, the High Weald AONB Unit, furthers understanding of the area’s special qualities, advises on its management and enables action to conserve it.
The Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership is made up of 18 delivery partners and other organisations, representing statutory, community, business and heritage interests, which will deliver the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme.
For more information contact:
About Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity championing native woods and trees. It has more than 300,000 members and supporters and its three key aims are: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.