A pioneering three-year funded project that fused cutting-edge artificial intelligence with boots-on-the-ground conservation has come to a successful end – leaving behind over 60 hectares of restored pollinator habitat and a blueprint for the future of wildlife monitoring.
Space4Nature, a collaboration between Buglife, Surrey Wildlife Trust, the University of Surrey and Painshill Park, and funded by People’s Postcode Lottery’s Dream Fund, has spent three years working with new technologies and approaches to nature recovery – combining high-resolution satellite imagery, citizen science and machine learning to revolutionise how we understand and monitor habitats.
The results speak for themselves. Across 22 sites throughout Surrey, the project has delivered more than 60 hectares of enhanced pollinator-friendly habitat – wildflower meadows, heathlands, wetlands and hedgerows – deploying over £100,000 to connect Buglife’s B-Lines: the network of insect pathways that threads through our countryside, creating connection and hope for the UK’s wildlife.
Project highlights have included:
- More than 60 hectares of pollinator habitat restored at 22 sites across Surrey;
- 350 volunteers trained in ecological surveys for both invertebrates and vegetation;
- 110 landowners engaged and supported through more than 150 events, workshops and online activities.
The breadth of the project is as striking as its scale. Restoration work took place on vineyards, orchards, churchyards, playing fields, road verges and private gardens – as well as on larger, established nature reserves already managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust. With each site owner signing a 10-year management agreement, and received a bespoke habitat management plan packed with expertise in invertebrate conservation – ensuring these habitats will be cared for long after the project’s official end.
Much of the practical work – wildflower seeding, scrub clearance, hedge planting and pond creation – was carried out by local volunteers working alongside Buglife’s Conservation Officers. Ongoing management will use traditional techniques, including conservation grazing with cattle, sheep and goats, many fitted with no-fence GPS collars.
Buglife Conservation Officer Peter Hewetson explains that “creating and connecting new invertebrate-friendly habitat along our B-Lines is essential to support some of our most threatened species, and local communities can give a huge helping hand by getting out into the beautiful Surrey countryside and contributing to citizen science and hands-on habitat management”.
New ways to monitor nature
Beyond the habitat work, the project broke new ground in how we monitor nature. By training 350 volunteers in vegetation and invertebrate surveys and feeding that data into machine learning models alongside satellite imagery, the Space4Nature team has developed a unique predictive model for grassland and lowland heathland habitats. Once peer-reviewed findings are published in scientific journals, the resulting habitat maps will be freely available via the LandApp platform – putting powerful conservation intelligence into the hands of anyone who needs it.
Zoe Channon, Director of Nature Solutions at Surrey Wildlife Trust commented that “Space4Nature has advanced our ability to deploy the most cutting-edge satellite and machine learning technology for conservation purposes, giving us the power to identify, map and then connect habitats on a landscape scale. But it has also put boots on the ground to deliver immediate improvements for pollinators in habitats that we and our partners already know well. It’s a perfect example of how local and strategic action can and must combine to deliver nature’s recovery”.
The project also engaged deeply with local communities, partnering with schools, landowners, community groups and Surrey Nature Partnership in more than 150 events. In total, 110 landowners were brought into the fold – a testament to the power of showing people what thriving nature on their doorstep can look like.
What comes next?
Space4Nature’s legacy is already taking shape as Buglife launches Chalk Lines – a new project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and continuing the partnership with Surrey Wildlife Trust. Focused on the Surrey Hills National Landscape, Chalk Lines will target the recovery of seven threatened species of butterfly, moth, bee and beetle, while deepening community involvement through partnerships with local elderly care homes and a women’s prison.
Space4Nature hasn’t just restored habitats – it has laid the groundwork for a new generation of nature recovery in Surrey and beyond.