Bioacoustics is an exciting field that’s transforming the way we understand and protect biodiversity. But how is it relevant to Vitacress? Whilst we work hard to produce fresh, tasty and healthy produce, we know it’s important to protect the land. Biodiversity helps us do this.
As part of our Second Nature programme working towards net zero, ‘More Biodiversity’ is one of our priorities. Group Environment Manager comments: “Biodiversity is not just an environmental choice; it’s a smart, sustainable approach to farming that ensures greater resilience and productivity and the use of bioacoustics can support this.” In a non-invasive way, this technology enables us to gather valuable insights about precious ecosystems and the species that inhabit them.
Our partnership with Carbon Rewild, specialists in this area, kicked off last year and we’re really pleased to share some amazing results from our 2024 report. We deployed devices across our UK farms, and at our nursery in Runcton, to record all bird and bat sounds from May to August, allowing artificial intelligence and expert analysis to identify species and estimate numbers.
But here are the most exciting takeaways for each farm from the report. Across all five sites, there were 80 bird species identified – 19 classified as ‘at risk’ from extinction on the IUCN Red list – with a further 24 classified as amber. 11 out of 18 species of bat found in the UK were also identified across the sites. As our farms are spread across the South of England, these results give a good idea of the species in those areas and what our farms are doing to help support them.
Farming doesn’t exist in isolation, it thrives as part of a larger ecosystem. Protecting and encouraging wildlife on our farms means healthier crops, fewer pests, and a more sustainable approach to food production.
What’s next?
We will be embarking on our first trial of winter bird recording this year, so watch out for the next update.
To find out more, you can read the Vitacress Bioacoustics Report.