Scientific monitoring of hedgehog populations through footprint tunnels, camera trapping, and road casualty surveys is revealing the scale of decline and informing conservation priorities.
Population monitoring provides the evidence base for welfare-informed conservation management. Without accurate population data, it is impossible to target interventions where they will have greatest impact on individual welfare. Monitoring data reveals that rural hedgehogs face more severe welfare pressure than urban populations, likely due to agricultural intensification reducing prey availability and connectivity. This finding has shifted conservation focus toward farmland habitat management as a welfare priority. Individual hedgehogs enrolled in radio-tracking studies provide uniquely detailed welfare insights about ranging behaviour, habitat use, and mortality causes.