Madam,

With reference to the article regarding ‘heads in the sand’ over hedgehog decline, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and British Hedgehog Preservation Society seeks to reassure the farming community that we are not blaming them for the decline in hedgehog numbers, by ignoring the relationship between badgers and hedgehogs in rural areas.

In fact, we raise the issue of badger predation of hedgehogs on page three of our joint report, State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2018.

However, the two species have coexisted in Britain for several thousand years and, whilst it is likely that where badger numbers are high the number of hedgehogs will be low, to identify badgers as the single most important cause affecting hedgehogs today is a mistake when there are more pressing issues like habitat loss.

Also, hedgehogs are declining severely even in parts of the country with low badger densities (e.g. East Anglia).

It is clear that several interacting pressures are at work.

What we do know is that when the habitat is rich with nesting and feeding sites, the species are able to coexist.

Bolstering hedgehog populations would be better achieved by increasing and improving habitat that supports both species.

This is where we hope to work closely with the farming community, for example by providing simple solutions for farmland management that would help the species, such as advice on restoring hedgerows to improve shelter and nesting opportunities; and how to manage field margins and grasslands in ways that encourage abundance and diversity of invertebrates.

Following consultations with a number of British farmers who partook in the National Hedgehog Survey 2014/15, PTES and BHPS are producing a free guidance leaflet with support from Natural England.

This leaflet, which will be available in spring this year, will provide straightforward advice about how simple changes to farm management can make a huge difference for hedgehogs, particularly in relation to agri-environment schemes.

We look forward to working with the Farmers’ Union of Wales to promote the leaflet to its members and encourage hedgehog conservation.

Yours etc,

Jill Nelson, CEO of People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Cloisters House, Battersea Park Road, London.

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