Space4Nature

Seeing the Bigger Picture

When making decisions to protect nature, it’s vital conservationists know where the best remaining habitats exists; to help identify the best opportunities to protect and connect them. However, this is frequently not the reality. With many habitats constantly changing, outdated records often don’t represent what’s available for our wildlife on the ground. Frequently sending scientists to reassess and map all of our habitats is a monumental task, complicated further by difficulties accessing some of the best habitats. With conservation organisations under tight resource constraints, sadly comprehensive mapping doesn’t happen: leaving rare habitats unrecognised and unprotected. Space4Nature aims to provide the solution!

What is Space4Nature?

Space4Nature is a pioneering Surrey-based project, with Buglife partnering with the University of Surrey, Surrey Wildlife Trust and the Painshill Park Trust, to revolutionise how we monitor UK habitats. Funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery’s Dream Fund, the three-year project aims to use cutting edge satellite imagery and artificial intelligence technology, to remotely monitor habitats and identify opportunities to improve them for wildlife.

Simultaneously, Buglife is working with local communities and landowners, to create wildflower-rich habitats to connect Surrey’s B-Line insect superhighway.

The Potential of Space4Nature

The potential of Space4Nature for environmental conservation is out of this world!

Including:

• The opportunity truly quantify and assess the condition of the UK’s remaining wildlife habitats, in real time.
• Identify achievable opportunities for habitat improvement and restoration.
• Highlight the best opportunities to create new habitats to boost connectivity.
• Inform landowners of areas of ecological value existing on their property.
• Identification of existing or potential habitats for vulnerable species populations.

Seeing UK Nature Like Never Before

Space4Nature is a pioneering Surrey-based project, with Buglife partnering with the University of Surrey, Surrey Wildlife Trust and the Painshill Park Trust, to revolutionise how we monitor UK habitats.

Recent advancements in satellite imagery allow us to see UK landscapes in greater resolution than ever before. Improving from 10m x 10m resolution squares to 0.3m x 0.3m, we believe it’s now possible to accurately assess habitat type and condition remotely. Even between challenging to distinguish habitats, such as differing grassland types.

Space4Nature aims to develop this technology in combination with Artificial Intelligence, to develop and automate detailed remote habitat mapping software. Providing the tools to comprehensively map Surrey, UK and global habitats accurately, in real-time – for the first-time ever. Enabling us to make strategic and scientifically informed conservation decisions like never before.

Building the B-Line

Space4Nature doesn’t stop at monitoring. We’re also contributing to Buglife’s B-lines initiative: the world’s largest and most connected habitat connectivity project! Within Space4Nature Buglife is providing advice and support to local landowners and communities, to help connect Surrey’s B-Line insect superhighway, to the rest of the UK network. While implementing our satellite monitoring technology to guide B-Lines decision making.

How can you get involved?

At Buglife we always want to involve people who are passionate about invertebrates. If you’re interested in helping with Space4Nature why not:

• Sign up for our volunteering programme, to help us test our pioneering technology.  Find out more about Space4Nature here
• Doing something to help insects? No matter how big or small, we’d love to hear about it! Try mapping it on our interactive B-Lines map.

For more information on how to get involved in “Space4Nature” project please contact Louis Harrington-Edmans  (Conservation Officer) at [email protected]