Hazel dormice are Britain's only native dormouse species, in serious decline due to habitat loss. Their welfare depends on well-connected woodland with diverse shrub layers.
Dormouse welfare is fundamentally dependent on woodland structure. Without a diverse, multi-layered woodland with connected shrubby vegetation from ground to canopy, dormice cannot move, forage, or nest successfully. They are so arboreal that they can starve to death before descending to cross a gap between woodland patches. Climate change is disrupting hibernation timing - early emergence before food is available causes starvation welfare crises. Coppice management that maintains diverse woodland structure is the most direct welfare intervention for dormice.