A SCHEME for studying mammals led by wildlife enthusiasts in the North-East will be discussed at a major international nature event today.

At the Ecology Across Borders conference, in Ghent, Belgium, researchers will share their experience of working with members of the public to create a network of motion-sensing camera traps for wildlife monitoring.

From red foxes, roe deer and badgers to rabbits and grey squirrels, the team has amassed over 160,000 volunteer-captured wildlife images to date.

They provide valuable information on the diversity and distribution of mammals, many of which are nocturnal.

Mammal Web is a citizen science platform led by Durham Wildlife Trust and ecologists from Durham University, supported by the British Ecological Society.

Project co-leader Pen-Yuan Hsing from Durham University’s conservation ecology group said: “Mammals can be very elusive.

“They often come out at night and in small numbers, which makes it hard to monitor their populations.

“There are only so many ecologists in the field and they cannot afford to sit in one spot until an animal passes by. Citizen scientists can make a real contribution and help us fill in some of the gaps.”

Mammal Web was launched in the North-East in 2015 and has since had photo contributions from volunteers in Scotland, Sussex and Oxfordshire.

Citizens even provided data leading to the capture of a non-native invasive species in Sunderland and that helped inform plans for a Local Nature Reserve in County Durham.

‘Trappers’ set up their own cameras to monitor wildlife in the woods or fields near their homes.

Once the photos are uploaded to www.mammalweb.org, ‘Spotters’ collectively classify the animals to ensure the data is accurate.

Mr Hsing said: “Camera traps are a discreet and affordable tool to observe mammals.

“The images tell us a lot about how animals behave.”