Children from Calstock Primary School have put up 50 home-made dormouse boxes in National Trust woodland, following the discovery of dormouse habitation for the first time in 38 years.
Signs of dormouse habitation have been discovered for the first time at Cadsonbury, the site of an Iron Age Hill Fort protected by the Trust near the Cotehele Estate in South East Cornwall.
As part of their studies, children from Calstock Primary School helped the National Trust to protect and encourage dormice numbers in the area, by building dormouse boxes for the Cadsonbury site and the wider Cotehele estate.
The Trust acquired Cadsonbury Hill in 1970 and this is the first time in 38 years that Trust staff have found any evidence of dormice living on the site.
Dormice are a rare and endangered species, largely due to the isolation of woodlands and the loss of traditional forestry methods. This project forms part of The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme and the Trust hopes that within the first or second season, dormice will start to use the boxes and in the long-term see dormouse numbers increase.
James Robbins, Assistant Seasonal Warden on the Cotehele Estate explains:
'We were very excited to discover signs of dormouse habitation at Cadsonbury. Hopefully this project will help us to determine exactly how many dormice we might be dealing with as well as help to protect this endangered species in the long term.'
'A loss of suitable habitat in Britain has lead to the steep decline of the dormouse in recent years. However, projects like this one here at Cotehele are helping to provide suitable habitats for the dormouse and therefore improve their chance of survival. Projects like this also help to educate and inform local communities of the plight of the dormouse and undoubtedly instil great affection for these loveable creatures'
Common dormice may spend up to three quarters of their life asleep, spend five to six months of the year hibernating, and at other times are mainly nocturnal. They feed on seeds, flowers, fruits and insects, a loss of suitable habitat in Britain has led to a steep decline in their numbers.
The decline of the dormouse has been attributed to a number of factors, including the loss of our woodlands and of traditional practices such as ‘coppicing’, which provide ideal dormice habitats, as well as their inability to spread because of woodland isolation.
Lizzie Congdon, Senior Teacher, from Calstock School says:
'Children are extremely aware of the need to protect wildlife, and quite often refer to the large creatures, such as, the snow leopard, elephant and dolphin. However, this project brings their awareness to their backyard and makes the pupils realise that even the humble dormouse is in need of our protection if we are to preserve our wildlife for future generations.'
'The fact that the pupils are actually involved in the creation of the nesting boxes, and in their distribution, has brought this project alive for the class.'
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