Hedgehog conservation efforts expand through community action

Efforts to support and monitor hedgehog populations are underway through community engagement in Germany and Switzerland. In Grabs, Switzerland, a workshop encouraged families and children to create natural habitats by building shelters from branches and leaves to support local wildlife.

In Germany, the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research is conducting its seventh nationwide citizen science campaign, ‘Deutschland sucht Igel und Maulwurf’ (Germany searches for hedgehogs and moles). Running from September 18 to 28, the initiative invites the public to report sightings and locations of hedgehogs and moles to help researchers fill data gaps regarding their distribution and population trends. This data is critical for developing conservation measures, especially as the West European hedgehog has faced increasing scrutiny regarding its population status.