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Dormice Found on CRT Farms Signal Healthy Landscapes
Confirmed
In Short: Endangered hazel dormice have been detected at Babers Farm in Marshwood, Dorset, and other Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) properties, signaling a healthier landscape.
Babers Farm, under CRT stewardship, has seen positive dormouse results following the installation of footprint tunnels.
CRT volunteer Ruth Moss said survey data helps inform management practices, ensuring dormice thrive in diverse habitats.
Dormice are a European Protected Species and are considered vulnerable to extinction, but their presence indicates a well-connected landscape with diverse woodland and species-rich hedgerows.
Footprint tunnels have also been installed at Turnastone Court Farm and Awnells Farm in Herefordshire, Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset, and Pierrepont Farm and Green Farm in Surrey.
CRT hopes to build a clearer picture of dormouse populations across its farms and use the findings to guide future habitat management.
The CRT's funding is being used to carry out dormouse surveys and improve habitats across its farms.
Dormice are particularly sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation, making them an important indicator of a healthy landscape.
What this adds
The CRT's initiative to monitor and improve dormouse habitats is part of a broader effort to enhance biodiversity and sustainability in farming.
What's confirmed
- As surveying continues through 2026, the CRT hopes to build a clearer picture of dormouse populations across its farms and use the findings to guide future habitat management.
What's still developing
- Babers Farm in Marshwood, near Bridport, Dorset, is under the stewardship of the Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT), which seeks to create nature-friendly farms.
- "Having a current set of data helps us to manage these areas with dormice in mind." The CRT works with tenant farmers to restore soil health, improve biodiversity and strengthen the natural ecosystem while producing food.
- A rare and endangered species of dormice has been discovered at a west Dorset farm, with conservationists hailing the finding as a success for nature-friendly farming.
- The discovery was made through monitoring work led by the Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT), which said the results show how wildlife can recover when farming and conservation work hand in hand.
- Countryside Regeneration Trust volunteer monitor setting up dormouse footprint tunnels at Baber's Farm. (Image: Countryside Regeneration Trust) Since surveys began in May, dormouse footprints have been recorded in nine of the tunnels, providing strong evidence the mammals are using habitats across the site.
- Dormouse footprints at Babers Farm (Image: Countryside Regeneration Trust) Hazel dormice rely on well-connected habitats, including woodland, hedgerows and diverse vegetation, which provide food and shelter throughout the year.
- Babers Farm is among the first newly surveyed CRT properties to return positive results, while similar monitoring is underway at Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset and at two sites in Surrey.
- When John Glenn orbited Earth in 1962, he commented on a striking green valley northwest of El Paso, Texas, surrounded by an otherwise dry landscape.
- That contrast is largely the result of human-made lakes along the Rio Grande, which have made farming possible in the arid region.
- From green tea and chia seeds, foods labeled as “super” have become a familiar part of the healthy-eating landscape.
- Though the term has no official scientific basis, it has some value in public discussion around nutrition and healthy foods, explains Frederic Bertley, PhD, an expert in preventive medicine and global health and President and CEO of the Center of Science and Technology (COSI).
- “Generically defined, a superfood is any whole food with high amounts of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help your body stay healthy,” he says.