Can AI detect hedgehogs from space? Maybe if you find brambles first.

Using AI to Detect Brambles from Space: A Potential Step Towards Hedgehog Conservation

Researchers from Cambridge have been exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect brambles from space, with the ultimate goal of conserving hedgehogs and their habitats. In a recent field test, the team used a model to identify areas with high confidence of brambles near the car park of Milton Community Centre. “It took us about 20 seconds to find the first one in an area indicated by the model,” wrote Sadiq Jaffer in a blog post documenting the field test.

The team’s model performed well in detecting large, uncovered bramble patches visible from above, but showed lower confidence scores for smaller brambles under tree cover. This limitation is logical, given the satellite’s overhead perspective. As Jaffer explained, “Since TESSERA is learned representation from remote sensing data, it would make sense that bramble partially obscured from above might be harder to spot.”

Early Experiment and Future Possibilities

While the researchers are enthusiastic about the early results, the bramble detection work represents a proof-of-concept that is still under active research. The model has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the field validation described here was an informal test rather than a scientific study. However, the simplicity of the bramble detector offers some practical advantages, such as the potential to run on mobile devices, enabling real-time field validation.

Potential Applications and Conservation Implications

Should the team’s research pan out, similar AI-based approaches combining satellite remote sensing with citizen science data could potentially map invasive species, track agricultural pests, or monitor changes in various ecosystems. For threatened species like hedgehogs, rapidly mapping critical habitat features becomes increasingly valuable during a time when climate change and urbanization are actively reshaping the places that hedgehogs like to call home. The team considered developing a phone-based active learning system that would enable field researchers to improve the model while verifying its predictions.

Read more about the potential of AI in conservation and the detection of brambles from space Here.