Hedgehog Conservation Ireland and researchers at University of Galway and Oxford are calling on people to take part in the inaugural Great Big All-Ireland Hedgehog Count.
The aim of the project is to help scientists better understand the status of Ireland's hedgehog population.
The count will begin from Monday next week, 8 June, for a period of one week.
People are asked to look in their garden, local park, green areas or woods to try find hedgehogs, said University of Galway researcher Elaine O’Riordan, who is also lead researcher for the Irish Hedgehog Survey.
Listen: Hedgehog in decline across Europe as count to take place in Ireland
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Ms O’Riordan, who is from University of Galway's School of Natural Sciences and the Ryan Institute said that the aim is to get a good baseline of data to monitor how hedgehog numbers are doing here into the future.
She added that hedgehogs tend to come out around 10pm when it starts getting dark, and the public are advised to observe the animals from a distance and not to pick them up.
She noted that they like to eat cat food and tend to come into gardens at the same time.
As a researcher, she has been watching what is happening in Europe with hedgehogs, stating that the numbers have dropped quite dramatically, on average between 30-50%.
Read more: Bid to encourage protection for hedgehogs as numbers plummet
In some parts of rural England, there is an estimated 75% decline in hedgehogs’ numbers in the last 20 years, she said, adding that some of the same patterns are happening here.
Ms O’Riordan said the main issue for this is habitat loss.
"How the Irish countryside is being used has changed a lot," she said, adding: "such as farming practices, and that there are bigger fields and less hedges which is not good for hedgehogs are they are losing their nesting and feeding spaces".
Hedgehogs can be reported back either dead or alive as part of the survey. This means that the public can take note of dead hedgehogs on the road while driving.
Hedgehog researcher at WildCRU, University of Oxford and member of Hedgehog Conservation Ireland Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen said: "If you do not have a garden yourself, you can look for hedgehogs in the local park, or travel to the forest or the countryside."
She said "it is very important that we do not disturb the hedgehogs during the count".
"We do not want to risk any nests being disrupted or stressing the animals.
"Please wait for hedgehogs to appear naturally on the lawn when they become active at dusk and admire them from a distance," she said.
Members of the public can visit Irishhedgehogsurvey.com to fill in the details of the hedgehogs they see.
