December Dormouse Days!

The common (or hazel) dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is no longer as widespread or abundant as its name suggests. Numbers of this native British mammal have declined significantly during the last century due to a number of probably inter-related factors including:

• The loss of their habitat – hedgerows, scrub and woodland which contain important food sources and act as corridors linking available habitat.

• A decline in traditional woodland management practices such as rotational coppicing

Its distribution is now limited to the south and west of England, parts of Wales and a few outlying populations in the north of England. Carmarthenshire is a hot spot for this rare mammal in Wales.

The trend towards milder, wetter winters may also reduce dormouse survival and breeding success.

The Carmarthenshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan Partnership will be helping the Vincent Wildlife Trust’s new partnership project, Mammals in a Sustainable Environment (MISE), to organise events in on the 11th and 18th of December where the public are invited to come along and help out with nut hunts to survey woodland/hedgerows at a farms where dormice are thought to occur. Why not wrap up and come along and help the experts on the hunt for nuts (dormice open hazelnuts in a distinctive way and so tooth marks on discarded nutshells can be used to determine if dormice are present) and learn more about this secretive mammal and its habitat. The events will be from 10:00 until 13:00 in the Cross Hands area.

If you are interested in attending please contact Jenny MacPherson on 07584 415760; jennymacpherson@vwt.org.uk

The MISE project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Ireland Wales Programme (INTERREG 4A). The project aims to monitor mammal species of conservation interest, with the help of novel genetic techniques, and work with volunteers to raise awareness, and engage the public in mammal survey and conservation work.

Carmarthenshire Biodiversity November/December 2011 eNewsletter