A wildlife conservation charity has appealed for volunteers to participate in its annual Living with Mammals survey this spring.

Volunteers are asked by People's Trust for Endangered Species to record sightings of any wild mammals observed each week in their gardens, local parks or other green spaces, such as allotments and churchyards.

Collecting this information allows conservationists to gain insights into adjustments in our environment and how these shifts affect wild mammal populations.

It also helps determine which species need urgent aid and where conservation action is required.

Mammal surveys coordinator at the charity, David Wembridge said: "With blossom on the trees, and bats and hedgehogs emerging from hibernation, spring is a wonderful time to connect with the great outdoors and get involved in conservation."

People don't need to be wildlife experts to participate.

Sightings of mammals or identifiers left behind, such as footprints or droppings, can be accessed and recorded online at ptes.org/lwm.

Free advice is available for novices, with guides on species identification and discerning tell-tale signs.

Last year's survey of almost 800 sites across the nation yielded more than 20 different species including garden regulars like foxes and grey squirrels, species such as hedgehogs, and rarer creatures such as red squirrels, hazel dormice, and water voles.

Mr Wembridge added: "Taking part in Living with Mammals is a really valuable, and easy, way to help conservation.

"Every record – whether you spot anything or not – is crucial to understanding how different populations are changing year on year, and how we can protect them."

Data from Living with Mammals contributes to major reports such as the State of Nature and the State of Britain's Hedgehogs.

Without these records, insight into different species' wellbeing and the means to assist them would be diminished.

The 2023 survey results highlighted that rabbits, usually considered abundant, have shown a significant drop in sightings since Living with Mammals began in 2003.

Only one in 10 sites reported rabbits last year, down from a third in the survey's first few years.

This dwindling presence mirrors the overall decline over the survey's history, with numbers dropping by up to 50 per cent since 2003.

Mr Wembridge continued: "Rabbits are an important part of our natural environment, maintaining grasslands and a food source for predators and birds of prey.

"We need to monitor how numbers are changing and taking part in Living with Mammals is key to that."

Living with Mammals 2024 runs from March until the end of the year.

Those interested are invited to sign up at the People's Trust for Endangered Species website and share their photos on social media using #LivingWithMammals.