New guidelines extend dormouse search
Under the revised guidelines, where development may threaten the species, all woodland within the site footprint must be surveyed.
New guidelines from Natural England have been produced for surveys that should be carried out as part of the application process for mitigation licences, where dormouse populations may be under threat from development http://bit.ly/AhIvPL .
This will result in an increased survey effort for dormice, as all woodland habitat within the known geographical range of this elusive mammal, will now qualify as potential dormouse habitat, even if the habitat appears fragmented.
Dormice are a European Protected Species with strongholds in the south-east and the south-west of the UK, as well as Wales.
Under the revised guidelines, where development may threaten the species, all woodland within the site footprint must be surveyed (with the survey area possibly needing to encompass suitable adjacent habitat). In the past, surveys were only required for ‘perceived’ optimal dormouse habitat. This new guidance is a result of scientific work which demonstrates that dormice may be present in a wider range of woodland habitats, including conifer woodland.
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