The Cotehele rangers carry out regular monitoring of wildlife populations. This lets us know whether they are thriving or not and can indicate the overall health of the habitat. Birds, dormice, butterflies and bats are regularly counted by fully trained and licenced staff. Reed Warblers were heard on the Bird Survey down by the River Tamar, dormice in the woodland and bats near Cotehele Quay.
Protecting endangered species
Dormice populations in the UK have fallen by around 1/3 since 2000 according to the wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species, partly due to habitat loss and they are now extinct in 17 English counties. They prefer to live high in the tree canopy in old deciduous woodlands and at Cotehele we're encouraging a revival in their numbers locally through woodland management and introducing nesting boxes. We've installed 50 nesting boxes across the woodlands on the Cotehele estate and licensed staff monitor these monthly and the information gathered feeds into a National Dormouse Monitoring Programme overseen by the PTES.
Can I make a difference?
There are a few simple things people can do to encourage wildlife, including dormice to thrive. Allowing gardens to get a bit messy is a great help.
Things like letting bramble grow, leaving ivy on trees and piling up fallen branches and logs where bugs will live and wildlife can hibernate can all be beneficial.