Hedgehog Friendly Heath
To help protect and conserve the Heath’s hedgehog population, we launched our Hedgehog Friendly Heath project in 2023. This followed targeted conservation work and surveys which we began in 2016 with our partners at the City of London Corporation and English Heritage.
We are working with local groups, schools and residents around our green spaces to improve connectivity for hedgehogs by:
Improving habitats for wildlife through our conservation work and practical habitat management
Collaborating with our partners, and ZSL’s London Hogwatch, on major surveys, including as part of the National Hedgehog Monitoring programme to monitor the population
Improving connectivity by removing barriers and creating links between suitable habitat
Raising awareness and encouraging positive action by visiting schools, community groups and community events and engaging visitors at our visitor centres
Installing wildlife homes and boxes around the green spaces
maintaining first aid stations, and rescuing injured hedgehogs around the green spaces.
Find out how to support the project in our 2025 report.
Hedgehogs under threat
Hedgehogs have been declining in both rural and urban habitats, and we have lost around a third of the national population since the millennium. In 2020, Hedgehogs were listed as ‘vulnerable to extinction’ on the UK red list for mammals.
In the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report 2022 it was revealed that in urban areas there may be a stable population of hedgehogs that might be recovering. This highlights the importance of local action and greenspaces to ensure the species thrives.
For these reasons Heath Hands began targeted conservation work on hedgehogs in 2016.
Did you know that Hampstead Heath is home to one of the largest populations of hedgehogs in London?
This map shows where they were sighted in our 2024 hedgehog survey in collaboration with the City of London and ZSL’s London Hogwatch (red dots indicate recording, the bigger the dot, the more times they were sighted). You can read the full 2024 report here.
Connecting with other SINCs
An overarching aim of the Hedgehog Friendly Heath project is to improve connectivity between Hampstead Heath, and other nearby SINCs (Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation - see map) to reduce isolation and further fragmentation
This work involves working with groups all around the Heath to link our green spaces to others via people’s back gardens, school grounds and community spaces.
We’re thankful to our project partners for collaborating on this work. If you live or work locally and would like to get involved, do get in touch!
Hedgehog news from our green spaces
