effects of climate change on hedgehogs

World Top Stories News - effects of climate change on hedgehogs : British wildlife charities are calling on the public to take part in a survey of hedgehogs to see if climate change is affecting their hibernation and survival.

Research has shown that populations of hedgehogs have dropped by at least a quarter in the UK in the past decade, with numbers declining over the long term from an estimated 30m in the 1950s to 1.5m in 1995.

Conservationists say the species has been hit by the loss of habitat in the countryside, such as hedgerows and grassland, more intensive agriculture, use of pesticides that reduce their food sources and more badgers.

The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) are urging people to help them with a survey to see if changes to the climate are also having an impact on hedgehogs.

The charities said research in the 1970s revealed a direct link between hibernation and climate, showing hedgehogs emerged up to three weeks earlier in the south-west of England than Scotland, with inactivity relating to coldness and length of winter.

Typically the species hibernates between November and the end of March when food is scarce to conserve energy.

It is hoped the information gathered by the public can help scientists understand hedgehogs, including their hibernation, better. The survey is part of the two organisations' joint campaign to protect hedgehogs.

Last summer, the charities launched "hedgehog street" to encourage communities to get involved in conservation efforts to help the species, while research projects over the next three years will also try to understand hedgehogs better and what can be done to reverse the threats they face.

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