Humans are a key factor in hedgehog decline across Europe

A new analysis shows that despite the public interest in hedgehogs, their decline is driven by human factors and there is still a disconnect with broad-scale monitoring efforts. There are several common risks posed to all five hedgehog species in Europe, particularly road traffic accidents, with many also threatened by habitat loss, general human disturbance, and invasive species.

In late October 2024 the Western European and Long-eared hedgehogs have both worsened in status on the IUCN Red List for Europe from Least Concern, to Near Threatened and Vulnerable respectively. These were based on an assessment report written by Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen, part of Oxford Biology’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, a leading research entity for hedgehog research, with Dr Abigail Gazzard (IUCN and Durrell Wildlife Trust). This assessment inspired the new analysis. Sophie, lead author on the new paper, said:

“With the current status downgrade for the Western European hedgehog on the IUCN Red List for Europe, it is vital that research is being done to understand why the hedgehogs are declining and what we can do to stop the decline of this charming nature ambassador.”

Image: Tine Reinholt Jensen

Western European hedgehogs have likely declined almost 30% across extensive parts of their range, and Long-eared hedgehogs are suspected to have declined over 30%. Fortunately, the outlook for the Northern White-breasted, Southern White-breasted, and North African Hedgehogs is comparatively positive, and these species are assessed as Least Concern. Nonetheless, for all three of these species, populations remain largely unmonitored; the lack of data makes it challenging to effectively assess their conservation statuses.

For some species, regional-scale action is urgently needed to prevent populations from shrinking any further. For all, there remains a comprehensive lack of knowledge of populations, ecology, and threats. Recent regional updates to the IUCN Red List reveal a discouraging tendency: the hedgehog species of Europe are either declining and/or neglected by research and monitoring programmes to such a degree that evaluation of their conservation status remains challenging. Sophie added:

“We also need to engage members of the public in hedgehog conservation. The battle to save these beloved species will take place in our own backyards, as they are increasingly inhabiting areas of human occupation due to habitat loss.”

To combat hedgehogs’ decline, Sophie is collaborating with the European Parliament to create a Hedgehog Conservation Strategy for the whole of the EU. She hopes to establish a research programme to inform hedgehog conservation initiatives, documenting and preventing further decline of these important and charismatic species.

To read more about this research, published in Biological Conservation, visit: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111033