To be very clear: hedgehogs are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Schedule 6) and the Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996, making it illegal to kill, capture, or cruelly treat them. They are also listed as a species of "principal importance" under the NERC Act 2006, requiring conservation efforts.
Also -you can find this on other web pages of wildlife organisations- hedgehogs are officially classified as "Vulnerable to Extinction" on the Red List for British Mammals (2020), following drastic population declines. Studies indicate they have declined by 30-50% in rural areas and 30% in urban areas since 2000.
Which makes me ask what is going on when the British Hedgehog Preservation Society/Hedgehog Street/People's Trust for Endangered Species stated this in an email to someone who was concerned about hedgehogs on a proposed development site:
I have contacted the organisation involved and suggested they update their data.
No comments:
Post a Comment