Wildlife groups published the plan in response to findings that numbers have plummeted in rural areas since 2000.

Wildlife charities have launched the first national hedgehog conservation strategy to halt the species’ decline across the UK.

The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) published the plan on Monday in response to plummeting numbers in native hedgehogs.

It came after their 2022 report found that populations have declined by up to 75% in rural areas since 2000.