A pair of 13-year-old girls in the United Kingdom have been working to restore local harvest mice populations after learning that some farming practices have threatened the animals' habitat.

As The Guardian reported this August, Eva Wishart and Emily Smith bred dozens of the mice in their garages. The best friends recently released 250 of them in a nearby nature reserve in Devon.

As Britain's smallest rodent, the harvest mouse is native to the area and a key prey species in the food web. It is also an important predator of insects that can pose agricultural risks.

In recent years, the mouse's habitat has been jeopardized by modern farming practices, including the repeated use of pesticides and the widespread adoption of combine harvesters.

To help preserve the local population, Eva and Emily decided to take matters into their own hands. They raised young mice in 27 tanks, supported by crowdfunded donations.

Nature presenter Chris Packham promoted the girls' project to his millions of social media followers, which helped them reach their fundraising goal, surpassing about $5,400.

To safely and effectively release the mice into the wild, the teens received help from a carpenter, who built an enclosure to protect the animals from predators such as rats and snakes.

Eva and Emily's wildlife conservation efforts are impressive and inspiring to people of all ages.

"We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis," Packham said, per The Guardian, during the animal release. "I am very pleased when I see practical projects like these, particularly when they are done by young people."

Through local efforts, young conservationists and families have helped to strengthen biodiversity around the world. A teenager in New Jersey developed a technology to fight the invasive spotted lanternfly. In South Africa, a couple has helped to support local populations of cheetahs and lions.

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Looking ahead, Eva and Emily plan to survey the area for mouse nests and assess natural breeding activity while continuing their own mouse-raising efforts as necessary.

"I would like more people in my generation to have the chance to do things like this," Eva Wishart told The Guardian.

The friends are also discussing a future project to restore common lizard populations.

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