Dormouse discoveries at Pentre Ifan
A new monitoring project at Pentre Ifan in North Pembrokeshire has revealed encouraging signs of dormouse activity in the reserve’s restored woodland.
Volunteers from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, trained through the Cysylltu Natur 25×25 project, spent the summer using specially designed footprint tunnels to detect signs of the native hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius). The method, developed by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, uses harmless ink pads inside plastic tunnels to capture the distinctive ‘pizza-slice’ footprints left behind by curious dormice as they pass through.
The tunnels were set up in July 2025, following earlier nest box checks that had found only limited evidence of dormice near the eastern edge of the reserve. Over the course of the summer and early autumn, volunteers recorded dormouse footprints in over half the tunnels – with signs that the animals were becoming more active and ranging more widely as the season progressed.
The hazel dormouse is a legally protected species in the UK, listed as Vulnerable on the Mammal Society’s Red List, and subject to biodiversity and habitat conservation legislation. Recent studies show the population has declined by more than 70% since 2000, making local discoveries like this especially significant.
Mary Chadwick, Conservation Officer at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, said: “These findings are a big step forward in understanding how dormice are using the woodland at Pentre Ifan. The footprint tunnels gave us a way to monitor the species without disturbing them, and the results will help us target future conservation work more effectively. This reflects the National Park’s importance as a safe haven for species that are disappearing from much of the UK – and shows that when habitats are restored, wildlife can return.”
The discoveries add to the growing picture of a resident dormouse population at Pentre Ifan and will help shape the Authority’s ongoing management of the site. A female dormouse was found in a nearby nest box shortly after the footprint project ended – providing one of the most promising signs yet that the species may be making a quiet comeback in this part of the National Park.
The work is part of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s Cysylltu Natur 25×25 project, funded by the Nature Networks Programme. Nature Networks is delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government.
