Nature protection organisation Natuurpunt has accused Belgian railway infrastructure company Infrabel of destroying the habitat of the endangered garden dormouse in Landen, Flemish Brabant.
Routine railway maintenance saw the area cleared of trees and brush, which the NGO says housed a significant population of the increasingly rare dormouse. The NGO accuses Infrabel of being aware of this and noted that special nesting boxes installed by conservationists had been destroyed during the works.
Credit: Goedele Verbeylen/ Natuurpunt
The garden dormouse, which is native to Europe, can be identified by its long fluffy tail and "Zorro" like facial markings. In Belgium, the animal is endangered and legally protected. In many parts of Flanders, garden dormouse populations are in decline. Natuurpunt believes that many of the remaining populations reside on the railway verges.
"Infrabel therefore bears a great responsibility for the survival of this endangered and protected speices," it said in a press release.
Infrabel and Naturpuunt had previously worked together on studies to protect the species. The NGO expressed its disbelief about the destruction of that habitat, adding that this was not the first time that Infrabel had undone its conversation efforts.
The test boxes that were destroyed were installed in collaboration between the railway infrastructure company and local conservationists from Zuid-Hageland Regionaal Lanschap.
"It was a serious shock when volunteers saw that the roads either side of the railway were recently completely stripped of coppice. All trees and shrubs were cut to the root, and all the wood removed. A few remnants of the nest boxes were found," Naturpuunt decried. There boxes were housing hibernating garden dormice, the group alleges.
The group believes it is likely that a subcontractor was responsible for the damage, unaware of the conservation at the site. Naturpuunt denounced the lack of communication and noted that a similar 2-kilometre stretch of railway berm was mistakenly cleared near Machelen two years ago, destroying local mouse populations and boxes installed by conservationists.
Credit: Goedele Verbeylen/Natuurpunt
Naturpuunt says it is inexplicable that this could be repeated and that garden dormice had to die needlessly once again. The case has now been reported to the nature inspectorate.
The NGO has called on Infrabel to start "structural consultations" and involve conservationists in routine clearing of railway berms known to be housing the dormice.
