UK funds landowners £40 per hectare to curb invasive edible dormouse outbreak
The government is paying land managers £40 per hectare each year to control edible dormice, an invasive species that grew from a 1902 estate release to about 23,000 animals in the Chilterns.
A modest release of edible dormice on the Tring Park estate in Hertfordshire in 1902 has multiplied into an estimated 23,000 rodents across the Chiltern Hills, according to the Mammal Society. Native to continental Europe, the species is now designated by the UK government as an invasive non-native animal because it strips bark from trees, lowers fruit yields and preys on eggs and chicks of hole-nesting birds. To address these impacts, the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme provides land managers with £40 per hectare each year for a ten-year period, contingent on holding a Natural England wildlife licence and following an agreed management plan.
Trapping occurs from May to August, with strict protocols to release non-target species and dispose of carcasses responsibly. Guidance stresses accurate identification to avoid illegal killing of the protected hazel dormouse. The program exemplifies a broader shift toward proactive invasive-species control to safeguard forestry, agriculture and native wildlife.
Why it matters
Invasive dormice threaten trees, crops and native birds, prompting costly government-funded control measures.
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