The University of Kent is taking part in the National Hedgehog Monitoring Program (NHMP), borrowing 30 wildlife cameras to capture the movements of hedgehogs and other species across campus.
“The NHMP is an exciting new pilot project, that will, for the first time, produce robust hedgehog population estimates…With this knowledge, we will make effective conservation plans, so that we can reverse the decline of this iconic species” (NHMP).
This month-long project is a collaboration between the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) and the Sustainability team, and is feeding into the national dataset and our own species monitoring on campus.
Last week, staff and student volunteers from DICE and across the University helped to put the cameras out on campus, and will be helping to process the pictures when they come in. Hear from our students below:
“I really enjoyed the camera trap event. I was interested in learning how to correctly set up the camera trap, as they can be used to monitor so many different species. It’s a great thing to learn; I really enjoyed practicing this and getting to explore the campus woodland while doing it! I’m really excited to see all the footage we get from the traps and learning about hedgehog behaviours and routes on campus.” Nat, 2nd year Ecology and Conservation
“I went because I wanted to help out with sustainability and improving the environment we live in, and this way I get to spend the morning running around campus with my friends and see footage of hedgehogs.” George, 3rd year Human Biology and Behaviour
