We have all tried to help the dormouse in several ways:   We have carried out research so we now understand the needs of the dormouse much better. This is an essential first step in any recovery programme. Research on the way dormice use hedgerows is continuing. Local surveys have built on the work of the first Great Nut Hunt to expand the list of woods with dormice. We can't protect them unless we know they're there! We have reintroduced dormice into suitable woods in counties where they were extinct or rare. A captive breeding group has supplied animals for this work. Many nature reserves and privately owned woods are now managed with dormice in mind     A conservation handbook has been produced to provide advice to researchers, developers and woodland managers. A national monitoring scheme, based on nest-boxes in many woods, provides information about changes in dormouse numbers from year to year. Publicity for the dormouse, for example through the Great Nut Hunt, has made woodland managers, developers and planners much more aware of the needs of the dormouse. Projects are under way to try and link up isolated woods by planting new woods and hedgerows; we have used the dormouse to show how important this is for wildlife.