Common dormouse: trends in numbers
The common dormouse has declined sharply because of the loss of suitable habitat.
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Trends
The common dormouse declined after 1960, as can be seen from the fall in the number of 5 x 5 km grid squares. Though the number of 5 x 5 km grid squares has remained constant in recent years, the number of 1 x 1 km grid squares in which the species occurs is declining.
The common dormouse is restricted to the moist loess/loam soils in the varied woodland of south Limburg, especially in the bramble thickets on woodland margins. The distribution area of the common dormouse is shrinking because these bramble thickets are disappearing and the remnants are very fragmented. There is still a fairly large core area and two smaller areas with some surviving populations.
The common dormouse is on the Red List of mammals. A species protection plan for the common dormouse is currently in preparation.
