The UK will employ artificial intelligence for the first time to monitor hedgehog populations, in a groundbreaking effort to comprehend their current numbers and the reasons behind their decline.
Pictures of hedgehogs roaming through city parks, personal gardens, wooded areas, and farmland will be recorded using cameras and sorted by artificial intelligence that has been taught to distinguish between animals and people.
The pictures will be forwarded to individuals known as “spotters” who will identify the ones that include hedgehogs and forward them to analysts. The analysts will then document the figures and whereabouts.
This approach enables the NHMP to generate approximations of hedgehog numbers in various habitats throughout the country, track their fluctuations annually, and eventually provide a nationwide estimation of the UK’s hedgehog population.
The BHPS and PTES stated that this effort would provide crucial information on the reasons behind the declining hedgehog populations. It would also allow conservationists to implement effective measures to try and reverse this trend.
The project will span over three years and is a collaboration between Nottingham Trent University, ZSL’s London HogWatch, Durham University, and MammalWeb. The majority of the funding for this project comes from Natural England.
According to Dr. Henrietta Pringle, the National Hedgehog Monitoring Program (NHMP) coordinator at PTES, the use of AI in hedgehog conservation is groundbreaking. While previous studies have attempted to estimate hedgehog populations, a comprehensive survey has never been conducted until now. This development is highly promising and opens up new possibilities for hedgehog conservation efforts.
“We know hedgehogs are struggling – especially in the countryside – but before we can put practical conservation measures in place we need to understand where they are and why they’re declining.
This study is the first of its kind to consistently measure populations in the same location over multiple years. This will provide crucial data and enable us to pinpoint the most vulnerable populations and potentially reverse their decline. Additionally, the findings will reveal regional and habitat variations, as well as the factors that affect them in different areas. This will not only be intriguing but also tremendously beneficial for long-term conservation efforts.
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Fay Vass, the leader of the BHPS, stated: “Hedgehogs are adored by all, but we understand that not everyone is able to assist them in their natural habitat. By joining as a ‘spotter’ for the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme, individuals can easily contribute. This especially benefits those who cannot move easily, lack a garden, or are pursuing higher education away from home.”
Participating in the effort to aid hedgehogs has become incredibly convenient and accessible, and we sincerely hope individuals from all backgrounds will join in.
Source: theguardian.com
