Passive acoustic monitoring on the Hepple Estate, 2024 – piloting the rewilding monitoring framework

Passive acoustic monitoring on the Hepple Estate, 2024 – piloting the rewilding monitoring framework

BTO Research Report, 2025

Citation

Ashton-Butt, A., Gough, M., Higgins, S.L., Wetherhill, A. & Newson, S.E. 2025. Passive acoustic monitoring on the Hepple Estate, 2024 – piloting the rewilding monitoring framework. BTO Research Report 782: British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford

Overview

This report presents results from the first year of passive acoustic monitoring as part of the pilot of the Rewilding Monitoring Framework. These data will contribute to baselining and monitoring rewilding progress on the Hepple Estate and its impact on biodiversity.

In more detail

The project focuses on four target taxa: birds, bats, small mammals and insects that produce ultrasound. Two of these taxa, birds and bats have been chosen as key indicators in the Rewilding Monitoring Framework. We also test the use of two soundscape indices, as another key indicator in the Monitoring Framework. In total, this study identified 90 species on the Hepple Estate, including 80 bird species, seven bat species, two small mammal and one moth species.