Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > terrestrial mammal > Insectivorous mammal |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | West European Hedgehog |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Erinaceus europaeus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Mathews & Harrower, 2020 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | In the last two decades, rural hedgehogs have declined by between a third and three-quarters nationally. The largest declines are seen in the eastern half of England. Urban populations have undergone a historic decline which could be levelling off. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Targeted measures are needed at landscape scale to reverse the fortunes of this species. Uncertainties over abundance of hedgehogs at a national scale mean that a dedicated monitoring scheme is needed to evaluate status and determine whether recovery actions are working. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Any habitat management that increases invertebrate abundance and diversity and provides potential nesting and hibernation sites will benefit hedgehogs. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | NHMP undergoing pilot. Hedgehog conservation strategy now launched which lists key actions (see IUCN/CPSG, 2024). Hedgehogs are generalist species that live predominantly outside protected areas, relying on edge habitats, hedgerows, grassland, scrub, rough areas and areas with abundant invertebrate prey. These features have undergone decline and fragmentation in the wider countryside. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Restore, create and maintain high-quality hedgehog habitat, especially species-diverse hedgerows and edge habitats, improving macroinvertebrate prey diversity and abundance. This will be achieved by planting native, invertebrate-friendly plants, developing urban wildflower meadows and maintaining hedgerows and other potential hedgehog habitats appropriately. This action needs to be undertaken at landscape scale to be most effective, ensuring complexity of habitat (mosaics) and soil health.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat creation
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments: The British hedgehog conservation strategy lists key threats and goals for the conservation of this species.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Develop and disseminate a package of hedgehog awareness-raising materials that target a range of audiences, including urban and sub-urban community groups and local authorities. Advice should focus on gardens and private grounds to support the establishment of safe and prey-rich feeding grounds, and to create green corridors and safe wildlife crossings in urban and suburban settings, enhancing habitat connectivity for local wildlife populations. Alongside this, also provide advisory support.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments: Cost for this could be reduced if emphasis is put on actions homeowners could take i.e. hedgehog highways. Resources could be provided for dissemination and use by existing volunteer networks, community groups and educational institutions.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: A structured monitoring scheme for hedgehogs is required to provide reliable annual estimates of hedgehog density and abundance.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments: Annual monitoring for this species is currently in the pilot stage of development. Roadkill deaths are already monitored and recorded nationally by wildlife charities and high-risk stretches of road can be identified using these data sets.
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.