Do We Look for the Right Ones? An Overview of Research Priorities and Conservation Status of Dormice (Gliridae) in Central Europe

Johannes Lang, Sven Büchner, Holger Meinig and Sandro Bertolino
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Johannes Lang: Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Working Group for Wildlife Research, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany
Sven Büchner: Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Mammalogy Team, 02826 Görlitz, Germany
Holger Meinig: Independent Researcher, 42369 Wuppertal, Germany
Sandro Bertolino: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-6

Abstract: There are differences regarding distribution, conservation status and protection according to national and European laws and directives between the four dormouse species (Gliridae) native to Central Europe. We question the coherence between scientific knowledge and conservation status of dormice in Europe and hypothesize that the species included in the Habitats Directive have been the subject of considerable research, while those not included have been neglected, despite having an unfavourable conservation status. We did a review of the research presented at the International Conferences on Dormice from 1990–2017 and published in the scientific literature since 1950 to see for which species the most research was done and whether the Habitats Directive had an impact. The number of presentations increased over time for the Hazel ( Muscardinus avellanarius , N = 200) and the Edible dormouse ( Glis glis , N = 150), while those on the Garden dormouse ( Eliomys quercinus , N = 46) decreased until 2014 with an apparent increase only in 2017; the Forest dormouse ( Dryomys nitedula , N = 67) does not show any trends. The number of published articles increased for all species except for the Garden dormouse. This focus does not adequately address the current threats of the species. The results can serve as a guide for the re-evaluation of future research priorities and conservation strategies as well as the implementation of new monitoring projects and ecological studies.

Keywords: dormice; red list; Habitats Directive; International Dormice Conference; Web of Science; literature search (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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