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Reconnecting the countryside competition

Article created : 01/02/2010

Competition launched to create linked wildlife habitats and corridors

Planting and managing woodland and hedgerows to help wildlife including the rare and threatened hazel dormouse could earn farmers and landowners a cash prize in a national competition.

The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) has launched its Reconnecting the Countryside competition for 2010 with a £1,000 first prize, £500 to the runner-up and £250 for third place.

According to PTES, the competition aims to highlight the importance of woodlands, scrub and hedgerows as both habitats and wildlife corridors while celebrating efforts by the farming and land-owning community to protect them for posterity.

'To win the competition, entrants have to link wooded areas to create the largest possible continuous cover of dormouse-friendly habitat by planting, coppicing and/or filling in gaps in existing hedges and woodlands,' said a PTES spokesperson.

She added that good quality, species-rich hedgerows and well-managed diverse woodlands provided dormice with a source of food and a means of dispersal. Improving conservation of woody habitats would have a positive impact on the dormouse population and benefit many other species including other small mammals, bats, birds, butterflies, moths and other invertebrates.

Conservation work submitted as entries must have been undertaken in the 12 months before the competition's closing date of May 15 2010. It must have been undertaken by the landowners and their employees or local volunteers and cannot have taken place on land owned by a conservation body or non-governmental organisation such as a Wildlife Trust or Natural England.

A Reconnecting the Countryside entry pack can be obtained by contacting PTES (email: enquiries@ptes.org or telephone: 0207 4984533).

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