The University has been participating in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative since 2021 and we are proud to have won the Gold Award in 2024.

However, following the sad news of the hedgehog’s conservation status being updated from “Least concern” to “Near threatened” due to the continuing decline of the species, our work is not over.

To date we have, among others:

• led awareness raising campaigns throughout the year, including around Bonfire Night,
• conducted annual hedgehog surveys across campus using footprint tunnels,
• created hedgehog houses, hibernacula and additional wildlife habitats on campus,
• set up a Hedgehog Friendly Campus working group that includes staff and student representatives,
• incorporated more and more grounds management practices (such as No Mow May) that are sympathetic to sharing our campus with a large variety of wildlife,
• organised monthly litter picks and participated in the national Big Hog-Friendly Litter Pick Challenge,
• supported a student project investigating the suitability of campus as habitat for hedgehogs,
• put up ‘Slow down, hedgehog area’ signs on campus to encourage drivers to reduce their speed,
• encouraged people to join as Hedgehog Champions with Hedgehog Street.

We will continue our work in 2025 to make the campus a biodiversity-rich wildlife haven. If you would like to be added to the “Hedgehog Friendly Campus Volunteers” group on Teams, please email sustainability@warwick.ac.uk. You can also participate in our events, which are advertised on our website and @warwickunisust.