Citizen science project supports conservation drive for campus wildlife

The presence of hedgehogs and other wildlife across the Vet School Campus is being recorded as part of the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme (NHMP), thanks to the efforts of staff and student volunteers from across the University of Edinburgh.

Led by The Conservation Volunteers and the University’s Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, a team of staff and student volunteers set up 30 camera traps over a 1km grid on the Easter Bush campus.

Thousands of photos were recorded over 30 days between July and August this year. 

The photos were uploaded to the MammalWeb platform, which uses machine learning to filter out images that contain people or blank images caused by false triggers, leaving only images featuring animals. Citizen scientists are now classifying the wildlife captured in the remaining images. 

Previously, knowledge of hedgehog populations were limited to an understanding of where hedgehogs might currently exist, but the NHMP will set a baseline for understanding their population and distribution across the UK over the long term. 

“I enjoyed learning about wildlife cameras and how to place them, and the whole experience was great; walking about placing the cameras and collecting them, with a lovely group of people.”

Stoats, badgers, deer and hedgehogs have already been identified from the images at Easter Bush. Members of the public can volunteer as spotters, helping to identify animals that have been caught on camera at the Easter Bush campus and across the rest of the UK, by signing up to MammalWeb via the link below.

Hedgehog-friendly campus 

“I took part in the hedgehog-friendly campus survey at Easter Bush in July 2019, so I was keen to take part in another strand of hedgehog monitoring on campus.”

In 2022, The University was given a gold award as a Hedgehog Friendly Campus, as part of a national biodiversity programme funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. 

This latest project builds on recommendations made in a dissertation presented by a MVetSci Conservation Medicine masters student of the Vet School. 

Veterinarian Emily Norris, who graduated from the programme in 2022, examined the suitability of the hedgerows on campus for supporting hedgehogs, and whether management practices could be changed to better support hedgehog life.

Her findings indicated that our baseline understanding of healthy hedgerows may need to shift and develop over time. A range of recommendations to inform good hedgerow management were also made.  

Biodiversity planning

Hedgerows are crucial biodiversity corridors within rural environments and have been in decline in volume and quality across the UK.

The University’s department of Social Responsibility and Sustainability has launched the Wild Campus Programme, which aims to protect and restore wildlife across the University Estate for the benefit of people and nature.

The programme encourages the use of practices such as the improvement of hedgerows and creation of grasslands and wildflower meadows.

Initiatives to improve existing hedgerows at Easter Bush include removing old tree guards from the base of hedges along the road into campus, and other measures to enable the movement of small mammals. 

The campus Estates and Landscaping teams are supporting the planting of new hedges and providing practical advice on reducing how often they are trimmed, without obstructing nearby pathways and roads.  

"The University has a long-term commitment to safeguard biodiversity, wellbeing and the future of hedgehogs and other wildlife. We were delighted to be able to contribute to the NHMP this year, and will continue to ensure that the Easter Bush Campus is a place where these small mammals can feed, shelter and breed safely."

 Frances Ryan, Chair of the Sustainability Committee for Easter Bush Campus

Related links

Get involved: Help to Classify images from Easter Bush via MammalWeb [External]

National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme