Nine new wildlife signs were installed in early April in Barnes by Richmond Council, to warn drivers about small animals potentially crossing the road. The installation is part of the Council’s Richmond Biodiversity Hedgehog Species Action Plan, alongside our Barnes Hedgehogs project.

The new signs were installed near the hedgehog hotspots identified with the data from the ZSL London HogWatch surveys: on Barnes Common, the Leg o’Mutton Nature Reserve and Barn Elms. There are new signs on both ends of Rocks Lane and Mill Hill Road, and one sign each on Common Road, Gipsy Lane, Queens Ride, Lonsdale Road and Queen Elizabeth Road.

These triangular signs are officially called small animal warning signs, and depict a hedgehog. They are recent additions to official traffic signage and were created to help protect vital crossing routes for our wildlife.

Vehicle collisions are one of the major threats driving the steady decline of hedgehogs in the UK. It is estimated that 10 to 15% of our hedgehog population is killed on our roads every year. Road casualties are likely to have their biggest impact on local populations that are small and isolated, such as our hedgehogs in Barnes.

Our local hedgehogs, inhabiting a network of gardens as well as the common, live in a fragmented habitat carved up by a dense network of roads.

The new signs also support Britain’s new National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy, which recommends reducing vehicle speeds to allow hedgehogs to move safely through the landscape.

Barnes has a healthy community of hedgehogs living in local gardens and their habitats are linked by alleyways and holes in fences, known as the Barnes Hedgehog Highway. We hope that the new hedgehog signs will encourage drivers to slow down and help us protect our wildlife.

If you are looking to connect your garden to the Hedgehog Highway, get in touch with us at [email protected].