Die Waldbirkenmaus (Sicista betulina) im Bayerischen Wald – FFH-Monitoring einer schwer erfassbaren Kleinsäugerart mit Hilfe von Wildkameras

The Northern Birch Mouse (Sicista betulina) is one of the rarest mammals in central Europe and listed in Annex IV of Habitats Directive. Only little is known about its distribution, abundance and habitats in Germany. During a project in the Bavarian Forest, funded by the Bavarian Environment Agency (LfU), standard methods for the detection of small mammals were tested extensively over a period of four years. Despite intense efforts, only four specimens were caught. Neither live traps, such as Longworth or Hengstler traps, nor pitfall traps proved suitable for the investigation of Sicista betulina. Starting in 2016, a new method was tested: 25 camera traps (Reconyx HC600) were equipped in five research areas for several weeks. Using this method, two known populations and a visual observation were confirmed and two previously unknown populations were documented. In total, 43 vertebrate species were recorded. Based on the results from this project, the deployment of wild cameras has proved to be an efficient and reliable method for the detection of the Northern Birch Mouse (translated by the editors).