Rebel supports the garden dormouse through Entrepreneurs for Nature

Rebel supports the habitat of the garden dormouse with a donation to IUCN NL’s Entrepreneurs for Nature. Thanks to a donation totalling €16,000, the habitat of the garden dormouse, which has the status of Critically Endangered on the Dutch Red List, will be improved. This initiative is facilitated by Entrepreneurs for Nature and implemented by the Zoogdiervereniging.

Header photo: Garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) © Wesley Overman

Contribution from Rebel

Rebel, a financial-strategic consultancy firm that focuses on social issues, has donated €16,000 to Entrepreneurs for Nature to improve the habitat of the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus). With this contribution, the Zoogdiervereniging, a member organisation of IUCN in the Netherlands, can plant trees along a busy road so that the rodents can cross safely. In addition, trees and hedges are being planned to connect the habitats of the garden dormouse in Zuid-Limburg, a province in the south of the Netherlands bordering Belgium and Germany.

‘IUCN NL and its partner organisations help us to identify concrete and urgent projects. Our contribution will support the Zoogdiervereniging in improving the habitat of the garden dormouse.’

-Jonne Velthuis from Rebel

‘This donation comes from Rebel’s Flora & Fauna team, which focuses on funding and financing nature(-inclusive) developments. Many of our projects are at the policy level or involve systemic change. For and with our clients, we strive for a positive impact on nature, which also involves uncertainties. In addition, the results are sometimes only visible in the long term, while combating biodiversity loss is urgent. That is why we contribute to a project with a direct impact through Entrepreneurs for Nature. In this way, IUCN NL and its partner organisations help us to find concrete and urgent projects. Our contribution will support the Zoogdiervereniging in improving the habitat of the garden dormouse. And as a team, we will also help to put up nesting boxes for this endangered species,’ Jonne Velthuis of Rebel says.

Most endangered mammal in the Netherlands

The number of garden dormice in the Netherlands is declining rapidly. In 1950, the population in our country was estimated at 1,500 to 2,000, while in 2022 there were only 100 to 150 dormice. In the Netherlands, this species, which belongs to the dormouse family, now only lives in the Savelsbos and Bemelerberg in Zuid-Limburg. The IUCN Red List shows that the garden dormouse population is also declining or has already disappeared in many other European countries. This is typical of the trend that is visible worldwide – and also in the Netherlands in particular. Many vulnerable species are in a downward spiral.

A better habitat for the dormouse

The Zoogdiervereniging closely monitors this species, which is notable for its black mask and bushy tail. The rapid decline in population is probably due to the destruction of its habitat. The garden dormouse lives in sloping forests, but it can also feel at home in orchards and gardens, for example. However, it needs sufficient hedges, bushes and trees to be able to move around. Because the garden dormouse likes to eat seeds, fruits, and nuts, especially in the run-up to hibernation, native fruit and nut bushes are also important in its habitat.

The activities supported by Rebel contribute to the goal of the Zoogdiervereniging to connect the Savelsbos and Bemelerberg, both with each other and with the Geuldal and the garden dormouse’s habitat in Belgium. This project is being carried out in collaboration with OmniVerde and with the support of various (government) agencies.

Entrepreneurs for Nature

Entrepreneurs for Nature (Ondernemers voor Natuur in Dutch) is an initiative of IUCN NL. We finance concrete nature restoration measures that contribute to a robust nature network in which vulnerable plants and animals are given another chance, as well as measures that stimulate the prevention of and adaptation to climate change.