Researchers at Nottingham Trent University are urging people with the sensor- activated cameras, also known as camera traps, to support the project, which it is hoped could eventually help to reveal new information on hedgehog locations and abundance.
Hedgehogs, which are nocturnal, have undergone considerable decline in recent decades and the West European Hedgehog is currently listed as ‘near threatened’ in Europe by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Capturing new information from private gardens could help support conservation efforts, the researchers say.
Gardens can be challenging areas to study, due to access limitations, yet they remain an important habitat for many urban adapted species.
The project, being led by Nottingham Trent University, aims to tap into a growing number of trail cameras which people are routinely using to view wildlife at home.
‘ Spot a hog’ is open to anyone in the UK with a camera trap.
Participants on the project will receive advice on how to adjust and calibrate their cameras, , so that they are suitable for the study.
All the captured images will be submitted to citizen science platform MammalWeb where they will be assessed and the data analysed. If people don't own a camera trap they can still help with this stage by registering as a 'Spotter' to support the team in identifying what is in the images.
The study aims to initially understand if people’s private cameras – and a citizen science approach – can be utilised effectively for estimating garden hedgehog population size. It will then be used for future monitoring programmes.
The project will use a methodology similar to the existing National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme – led by wildlife charities People’s Trust for Endangered Species and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, and also involving NTU – which uses trail cameras to capture images of hedgehogs in different habitats, including urban parks, woodlands and farmland.
“To identify why hedgehogs are in decline and which habitats sustain healthy hedgehog populations, we need high quality data from across the country,” said Paulina Pawlikowska, who is carrying out the work as part of her PhD research in the university’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences.
“Trail cameras are widely used by researchers for wildlife monitoring, with some amazing initiatives, but we know that they are also increasingly used by people to observe wildlife in their gardens. The work is also important as we know that hedgehogs are increasingly observed in urban rather than rural areas.
“We want to test the potential of using privately owned cameras for monitoring the abundance of hedgehogs in our gardens, which will ultimately help with their conservation.
“Anyone who has a camera trap in their garden can contribute their footage to the survey by uploading content to the platform.”
Dr Henrietta Pringle, National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme Coordinator at People’s Trust for Endangered Species and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, added: ‘The National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme is a pioneering research project that aims to gather new information on native hedgehogs through a world-first combination of trail cameras, AI and home-based volunteers.
“Spot a Hog will perfectly complement this by using the same methods, but empowering people at home to contribute their own camera footage to help conservationists understand urban hedgehog populations.”
Anyone interested in participating in the survey should visit the project’s website.