{"id":1633,"date":"2026-07-15T14:27:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T13:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/?p=1633"},"modified":"2026-07-15T14:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T13:28:09","slug":"helping-hedgehogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/2026\/07\/15\/helping-hedgehogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping hedgehogs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hedgehog numbers in rural areas have been dropping for many years and, according to the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hedgehogstreet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/SoBH-2022-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">State of Britain\u2019s Hedgehogs 2022 report<\/a>, have declined by 30-75% since 2000, depending on the area of the UK.&nbsp;Some of the&nbsp;challenges&nbsp;they face include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Road casualties due to high volumes of traffic&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Habitat loss and fragmentation&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Increased use of pesticides in gardening&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"739\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_388602310-1024x739.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_388602310-1024x739.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_388602310-300x217.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_388602310-768x554.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_388602310-1536x1109.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_388602310-2048x1478.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_388602310-624x450.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What action is the University taking?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biodiversity is one of the Sustainability Teams areas of work&nbsp;and the University is committed to&nbsp;preserving&nbsp;and enhancing&nbsp;biodiversity&nbsp;on campus. You can find more of our environmental commitments listed in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainable-campus\/assets\/environmental-sustainability-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Environmental Sustainability Policy<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the work we conduct to create a safer environment for hedgehogs on campus include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We conduct monitoring surveys annually (using footprint tracking tunnels)&nbsp;to update records about where hedgehogs are present on campus&nbsp;and log the findings on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bighedgehogmap.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the&nbsp;Big&nbsp;Hedgehog Map<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We work with the&nbsp;Grounds&nbsp;Team to ensure:&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Leaf piles will be left where safe to do so and they will be checked for mammals if they need to be swept&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create small natural habitats for mammals and insects where possible&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Grass cutting regimes are minimised and when&nbsp;necessary,&nbsp;cuts are scheduled so sword length varies&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Netting (garden and sport)&nbsp;is secured to prevent animals from getting stuck when it is not in use&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We annually partake in hedgehog awareness week to educate colleagues and students about the dangers hedgehogs face and raise money for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society via a bake sale&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How you can help?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hedgehogstreet.org\/register.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Register as a hedgehog champion<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make ponds safe with a wildlife escape route&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Build a hedgehog&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hedgehogstreet.org\/help-hedgehogs\/hedgehog-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">house<\/a>!&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Report if you find a hedgehog in&nbsp;distress and conduct first aid if possible&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk\/found-a-hedgehog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk\/found-a-hedgehog\/<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hedgehogstreet.org\/help-hedgehogs\/link-your-garden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hedgehog&nbsp;highway<\/a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;your garden. Hedgehogs are struggling in Britain because our&nbsp;gardens are&nbsp;becoming more secure&nbsp;with fences, reducing the amount of land available&nbsp;to&nbsp;them&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Put out&nbsp;hedgehog friendly&nbsp;food and water.&nbsp;Hedgehog&nbsp;Street recommend&nbsp;any combination of meat-based wet dog or cat foods, or dry cat\/kitten food&nbsp;(not ones that&nbsp;contain&nbsp;milk)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wildlifetrusts.org\/actions\/how-check-your-bonfire-hedgehogs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Check your bonfires<\/a>&nbsp;for hedgehogs before lighting them&nbsp;and check before strimming&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create leaf and log piles, wildflower patches, or overgrown \u2018wild\u2019 corners&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Talk to your neighbours and encourage them to&nbsp;take action&nbsp;too&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"585\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1634\" style=\"width:654px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/image.png 585w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/files\/2026\/07\/image-300x186.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hedgehog highways. Photo from www.hedgehogstreet.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for reading this blog, and let us know in the comments what hedgehog friendly action you are taking this summer!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hedgehog numbers in rural areas have been dropping for many years and, according to the\u202fState of Britain\u2019s Hedgehogs 2022 report, have declined by 30-75% since 2000, depending on the area of the UK.&nbsp;Some of the&nbsp;challenges&nbsp;they face include:&nbsp; What action is the University taking?&nbsp; Biodiversity is one of the Sustainability Teams areas of work&nbsp;and the University [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12007,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[98,80,36,29],"class_list":["post-1633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-biodiversity-net-gain","tag-biodiversity-on-campus","tag-get-involved","tag-sustainable-campus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12007"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1633"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1639,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633\/revisions\/1639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}