Did you know hedgehogs are officially vulnerable to extinction in Britain, with fewer than a million left? To help resolve this problem, Aston University and Aston Students’ Union have teamed up with British Hedgehog Preservation Society to become a Hedgehog Friendly Campus!
Look out for the Environment and Sustainability Team working with the Students’ Union to raise awareness of the declination in hedgehogs through numerous campaigns.
Did you know hedgehogs are officially vulnerable to extinction in Britain, with fewer than a million left? To help resolve this problem, Aston University and Aston Students’ Union have teamed up with British Hedgehog Preservation Society to become a Hedgehog Friendly Campus!
Look out for the Environment and Sustainability Team working with the Students’ Union to raise awareness of the declination in hedgehogs through numerous campaigns.
Some activities we are undertaking to achieve this goal are listed below:
- Completing the Healthy Hedgerows and the Great British Hedgerow surveys
- Social media campaign aimed to educate both staff and students about issues hedgehogs face
- Fundraising for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society:
- A Hedgehog Friendly Campus launch
One activity this past term the Students’ Union organised along with the Environment and Sustainability Team were two litter picks. The litter picks consisted of students and staff at Aston University as well as staff from Aston University’s waster management partners, Suez Group.
The two events were successful, collecting a combined total of 32.5 kg of rubbish from streets surrounding the campus and student accommodation.
If you wish to act now, feel free to complete our top 5 actions:
- Dispose of rubbish responsibly by putting it in the designated bin.
- Use organic pesticides as opposed to chemical pesticides, as chemical pesticides not only harm hedgehogs but damage their food chain too.
- Buy or make hedgehog houses. These provide a safe hibernation site for hedgehogs and keeps them away from areas in which they are at risk of being involved in accidents.
- Check areas in your garden thoroughly before strimming or mowing as hedgehogs are easily hidden under hedges, piles of wood or leaves.
- Be careful when driving. Hedgehogs are known to be nocturnal and are often seen at night which means extra care must be taken at night.
If you’d like more information on how you can help hedgehogs in your area or would like to know more about the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign, visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society at https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk! ! You can also donate to Aston University’s Hedgehog Fundraiser by click here.
If you want to learn more about what we’re doing for Aston University’s hedgehog population, you can contact the Environment and Sustainability team at environment@aston.ac.uk or look at the Students’ Union sustainability page by clicking here.