Could the familiar ball of thorns disappear from our countryside? On the occasion of the COP16 biodiversity in Cali, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated its red list of threatened species on Monday October 28. Among the animals whose status has been revised, the European hedgehog – protected in France since 1980 – is now considered “near threatened” d’extinction.
Its population has declined in many of the countries where it is recorded, notably in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Road mortality, use of pesticides, loss of its habitat… In France, if the hedgehog and its 5,000 quills is subject to the same threats as in the rest of Europe, there are no figures to document this decline.
No figures document this decline in France
The fault is a lack of monitoring of wildlife: “In France, we do not have a long-term hedgehog population monitoring program”regrets Marjorie Poitevin, head of the hedgehog mission – launched in 2020 to compensate for this lack of monitoring – at the Bird Protection League (LPO).
Despite the absence of data at the national level, observations carried out by volunteer naturalists indicate a decline in the species. “Over the last twenty years,the areas where the hedgehog is present have declined by 5 to 10% in several regions”explains Christian Arthur, treasurer of the French Society for the Study and Protection of Mammals (SFEPM).
“The hedgehog still occupies 90% of the surface area that it can occupy in France. It’s a good presence, but the decline in its range is one of the first indicators of the decline of a common species,” underlines the former researcher at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE). Especially since these observations focus on the distribution of the hedgehog – whether it is observed or not – and do not give indications on the abundance of the species.
The hedgehog deserts the countryside
The only certainty: in the countryside, the presence of the small mammal is declining more than in the city. “This distinction between rural and urban environments emerges in all studies. In England, over twenty-five years, we observe a decline of 40% in populations in rural areas, while they remain relatively stable in urban areas. explains Marjorie Poitevin.
An alarming finding, since the countryside is home to 80% of hedgehogs. The hedges bordering the fields serve as refuge and shelter from badgers and great horned owls. And the strips of grass and meadows are full of insects and slugs, which he loves. However, these environments tend to disappear, depriving the animal of its shelter and its pantry.
Intensive agriculture, cause of hedgehog decline
Marjorie Poitevin points out the role played by pesticides in this decline: “The hedgehog has a very varied diet, but its main resource remains the consumption of insects. However, the application of biocides in intensive agriculture has eliminated the insects on which it feeds. » In less than thirty years, nearly 80% of insects have disappeared in Europe.
An emblematic species of rural landscapes, Erinaceus europaeusfrom its scientific name, is not alone in suffering from pesticides and the simplification of the agricultural landscape.
Maintaining the environments on which it depends could improve the health of the hedgehog and that of many other species, from the cerulean butterfly to the skylark. “We can save it by recreating hedges and meadows, leaving a five-meter strip of grass along the fields, keeping 5 to 10% pasture as provided for in the common agricultural policy…, lists Christian Arthur, who wants to be reassuring about the future of the species. If we take care to preserve these environments, the hedgehog will be able to get back on track. »
How can we protect the hedgehog?
Ball of thorns preservation begins at home. The 17 million gardens in France are all potential habitats for the hedgehog: leave him a pile of leaves, a patch of wild grass to attract insects, and a water point, and the small mammal will will soon feel like home.
Better: allow it to circulate freely between your garden and that of your neighbor, by slightly opening your fence or creating a passage under a gate. “A hedgehog can travel several kilometers per night to hunt, or to meet its partner during the breeding season. He needs to be able to move between the gardens,” explains Marjorie Poitevin. Also avoid slug control products, which can poison it and deprive it of snails and slugs.
Be careful, little paws… Ride at a walking pace
The road is also a danger: according to a study carried out by Christian Arthur, “between 1 million and 1.2 million hedgehogs die crushed each year in France. » More visible, road mortality is not necessarily the most important. However, these collisions further weaken the species, particularly after coming out of hibernation (March-April) and during the summer period.
Hedgehogs live on average three years, and have a litter of five babies per year. “This is a fairly low level of reproduction for a small mammal, but it has been sufficient until now, because the hedgehog has a low mortality rate linked to predation,” explains Christian Arthur.
The hedgehog’s situation is likely to deteriorate in the years to come. According to Sophie Rasmussen, a researcher at the University of Oxford, it is likely that the species will be classified as ” vulnerable ” – the level above “near threatened” – during the next re-evaluation of the IUCN Red List.
