The National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme (NHMP) is an exciting new survey that will, for the first time, give us robust population estimates for our much-loved hedgehogs. By understanding how hedgehog populations are changing over time and in different areas, we can implement much needed conservation measures to help our hogs.
Led by wildlife charities People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), the NHMP uses trail cameras to capture images of hedgehogs (and other wildlife) in different habitats, including urban parks, private gardens, woodlands and farmland. The images will then be processed by a combination of new AI tools and volunteers to identify the animals in them, before they can be analysed by the team. To make the project a success, we need lots of help from volunteers to look through images from our survey cameras, and identify the species in them. This helps us quickly prioritise which photos to analyse first so that we can produce the first hedgehog population density estimates.
In this talk, part of the Citizen Science Showcase*, Henrietta Pringle, the NHMP coordinator, will introduce the project and show you how you can help with this ground-breaking project from the comfort of your home.
*This event is part of the Citizen Science Showcase – organised by the Natural History Consortium, in partnership with Natural England, funded by Defra’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) Programme. By signing up, you consent to your information being shared between the listed partners for the purposes of the event only.