French hedgehog map shows where hedgehogs can still be seen

They are small, spiny and in serious danger – yet a new map reveals where hedgehogs can still be spotted in France.

For years, the decline of hedgehogs was largely a feeling shared by nature lovers. Systematic evidence is now available for the first time, showing where this prickly neighbour is still on the move in France – and where it appears to have almost disappeared. A large-scale citizen science study has produced a detailed map that is relevant not only to France, but also offers pointers for how hedgehogs can be protected in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe.

Why hedgehogs are under pressure in Europe

The hedgehog is among Europe’s most familiar wild animals. Many people know one from their own garden, while others now sadly encounter them only as roadkill. This is central to the problem: collisions and habitat loss are placing enormous pressure on the animals.

“Intensive farming, dense road networks and sterile gardens affect an animal that depends on shelter, hedgerows and wild corners.”

Modern land management leaves very little cover behind. Meadows are cut early and frequently, hedgerows are removed, and piles of leaves are tidied away. There are also hazards including robotic mowers, strimmers, swimming pools and deep cellar lightwells, from which hedgehogs cannot escape without help.

Their physique does not make them especially resilient. An adult hedgehog rarely weighs more than one kilogramme, measures around 30 centimetres in length and stands only 15 centimetres high. Its spines offer no protection against a car tyre or the rotating blade of a lawnmower.

Large-scale hedgehog study: citizens provide the data

Rather than relying solely on estimates, conservationists in France launched a project running over several years. Called “Opération Hérisson”, it asked people across the country to report hedgehog sightings or set out dedicated tracking tunnels.

The method is straightforward: volunteers place tunnels containing paper and ink in their gardens or on other land. When a hedgehog passes through at night, it leaves clearly identifiable footprints. This makes it possible to establish whether animals are still active in an area, even where nobody sees them directly.

• Study period: three years
• Starting area: the Doubs department, later expanded across France
• Participating organisation: France Nature Environnement
• Aim: to gain a better understanding of hedgehog distribution and frequency

Alongside tracking tunnels, straightforward sighting reports also played a key part. Participants reported live hedgehogs as well as dead animals found on roads or in gardens. This provides a more realistic picture of the situation – including its darker side.

Where hedgehogs in France are still seen most often

The collected information has been used to create a map highlighting the main areas for hedgehog observations. Particularly high numbers of reports came from four regions:

• Bourgogne–Franche-Comté
• Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes
• Île-de-France (the Greater Paris area)
• Hauts-de-France in the north of the country

At first glance, this may seem surprising. It might be assumed that hedgehogs survive mainly in remote landscapes. However, the findings show that densely populated places also matter greatly, provided they contain gardens, parks and connected green spaces.

“Hedgehogs do not need wilderness; they need varied habitats: hedgerows, leaf piles, small gaps in fences – and as little concrete as possible.”

The new map is not intended as a complete population count. In many rural areas, there are too few committed reporters, so the map contains gaps there. Even so, the project offers an unprecedented overview of where people currently have a good chance of seeing a hedgehog – or at least finding its tracks.

More than 11,000 volunteers – hedgehogs move people

Participation in the project has been striking. More than 11,000 different people have supported the study and submitted data. In 2023 alone, this resulted in more than 6,700 observations from across metropolitan France.

The strong response demonstrates how much hedgehogs appeal to people. They are neither predators nor a conventional agricultural pest, but insect-eating neighbours that tend to benefit rather than harm a garden. They eat slugs, beetles and larvae, thereby helping to maintain a natural balance.

Conservationists interpret the high level of involvement as a clear signal: many people are concerned about the condition of local wildlife and are prepared to devote time to recording it.

How the study continues and why spring matters

The project in France has not ended. Reports have continued since it began in 2018, and the database is growing. Spring is particularly important, as hedgehogs become active again towards the end of hibernation and travel through gardens and parks.

At this point, observers have the best chance of seeing them. After emerging from hibernation, hedgehogs urgently need food, move around more often and cover longer distances. Anyone moving quietly through the garden at night or around dusk may often hear snuffling in the undergrowth at this time – a classic sign of a hedgehog searching for food.

“Spring evenings and mild nights are the best opportunity to catch sight of a hedgehog – whether in France or in your own garden.”

What the United Kingdom and other European countries can learn from this

France’s citizen science study also provides valuable ideas for other parts of Europe. Many of the problems are the same: dense road networks, robotic mowers, sealed surfaces and overly tidy gardens with nowhere to hide. Similar public participation schemes could help improve understanding of hedgehog distribution elsewhere.

Hedgehog observations can be organised using simple measures:

• Set up online reporting portals or apps for sightings
• Make plans for building tracking tunnels freely available
• Encourage towns and local authorities to make parks and green corridors hedgehog-friendly
• Involve schools to introduce children to nature-focused projects

The more accurately it is known where hedgehogs still occur and where they are disappearing, the more precisely conservation measures can be planned. These could include lower speed limits on known movement routes, or openings in garden fences and walls.

How garden owners can make their land hedgehog-friendly

Anyone who wants to do more than look towards France after reading this can begin in their own garden. A number of simple actions directly benefit these spiny animals:

• Leave piles of leaves in place in autumn instead of clearing everything away
• Create openings of around 10–15 centimetres in garden fences so hedgehogs can move between gardens
• Run robotic mowers only during the day, never at dusk or overnight
• Make cellar lightwells and swimming pools safe with escape routes
• Avoid slug pellet products that may be poisonous to hedgehogs

A wildlife-friendly garden with a little disorder around its edges may annoy some neighbours, but it can be a lifeline for hedgehogs and other small animals. Deliberately leaving a few wilder areas creates vital shelter and food.

Why maps and data alone will not save the hedgehog

The French hedgehog map clearly illustrates where stable populations are still holding on. But it also shows how quickly these animals can vanish from entire areas when landscapes are stripped of their features. Data can make the decline visible – but ultimately people, local authorities and politicians must take action.

For public bodies, maps of this kind provide grounds for considering movement routes in building projects or including crossing aids in road plans. For individuals, they are an invitation to look more closely: are there still any hedgehogs in my area? If not, what might be causing this, and what can be changed?

The hedgehog is therefore an important indicator species: when it is doing badly, something fundamental is usually wrong with the landscape. Protecting it also improves conditions for many other species, from toads and insects to birds that depend on varied gardens and hedgerows.