Details:
- Company: CSX
- Client: Confidential
- Year: 2023
- Region: England
Service areas:
- Environmental and sustainability services
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and software solutions
Introduction
A bioacoustic assessment of a Biodiversity Net Gain project in North Yorkshire recorded 74 bird species, including 11 Red Listed species, demonstrating high biodiversity. The monitoring, designed to track species diversity and abundance in response to land management and habitat changes, revealed a significant number of wading birds, expected to increase with the planned creation of upland fen and a pond. The presence of numerous birds of prey further indicates a healthy ecosystem.
Challenges
Avian biodiversity is only one component of overall ecosystem health. However, the presence of birds at the project site is due to the provided habitat and food sources. Therefore, acoustic monitoring serves as an indicator of the projects ecological success.
Solutions
To comprehensively assess biodiversity gains resulting from habitat creation and enhancement, we recommend clients conduct repeated acoustic monitoring surveys throughout the project’s duration. This allows for accurate tracking of avian species increases and identification of indicator habitats, providing a thorough evaluation of the project’s ecological success.
Results
The results of the survey detailed a comprehensive assessment of the species recorded within the project. They evaluate the Abundance and the BoCC5 Conservation Status of the birds. Additionally, bioacoustic metrics are conducted to evaluate Acoustic Diversity and Evenness as well as NDSI Acoustic
Complexity.
Complexity.
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