New tool will revolutionise puffin census efforts

This new technology is an AI-enabled ‘virtual fieldwork platform’ designed to transform how ecologists monitor seabird populations, starting with Scotland’s iconic and vulnerable puffins. The project has been made possible by being awarded £560k by the Scottish Government’s CivTech Accelerator programme, the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) and the Trust.

Puffins are increasingly at risk of extinction due to several factors, including climate change and human activity, making monitoring their numbers crucial for conservation. However, undertaking accurate monitoring poses a challenge for ecologists as puffins nest in underground burrows and often live in remote, inaccessible colonies, making them notoriously difficult to count. Traditional counting methods are labour-intensive, invasive and often imprecise – just 11% of all UK colonies that were counted as part of the latest national population survey were classed as having used a method accurate enough to determine whether there has been a change in the population size over time.

To tackle this challenge, project lead EOLAS Insight is building an innovative platform that integrates ultra-high-resolution aerial data, state-of-the-art 3D models of colonies (known as ‘digital twins’), and AI-powered detection tools to help ecologists map puffin burrows and identify signs of nesting inside. The result will be a scalable and efficient approach to seabird monitoring, enabling more accurate, wide-scale data collection without the need to walk among the burrows found in fragile habitats.

Douglas McNeil, Managing Director for EOLAS Insight, said: ’As a coastal nation, Scotland has a central role to play in protecting seabird populations. Better data surrounding these populations benefits everyone as we aim to protect our unique ecosystems and support progress towards net zero. We are hugely excited to be partnering with the University of Edinburgh, the National Trust for Scotland and NatureScot under the CivTech scheme to deliver highly innovative solutions that support ecologists with their crucial seabird conservation work.’

Project partners at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Geosciences are leading on the capture and processing of the aerial data that feeds into the platform through their in-house Airborne Research and Innovation Facility. Alongside this, they are developing guidance on best practices and standardisation for aerial data collection over seabird colonies, helping other operators and researchers working in conservation to adopt consistent and effective monitoring techniques.

Professor Caroline Nichol from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Geosciences says: ’We are delighted to be partnering with EOLAS Insight, bringing research expertise in seabird colony population assessment via aerial data collection through our dedicated Airborne Research and Innovation unit. Combining our academic and operational expertise with commercial digital twin technologies developed by EOLAS Insight will help us better understand our seabird populations in an ever-changing world.’

The new funding will allow the partnership to complete the development of the platform, which began during the CivTech Round 10 Accelerator programme earlier this year.

Mark Elliott, Programme Director for CivTech said: ’We knew at the outset of the CivTech Accelerator that EOLAS had something that, if developed well, could add hugely to the efforts to protect and even grow puffin populations. And they delivered. We’re really pleased EOLAS is now going into the next stage of development, which will see the platform completed and going into use. And when it does, it’ll be a big contributor to the efforts to ensure the future of these very lovable and extremely important birds.’

Sarah Brown, SMEEF Manager for NatureScot, said: ’We’re happy to support this innovative work with a grant from our new Seabird Resilience Fund. Scotland’s seabirds are globally important, and projects such as this will transform how we manage and monitor seabird populations in Scotland and beyond.’

Co-designed with NatureScot and the Trust, the platform is being built with the needs of frontline seabird ecologists at its core.

Lucy Quinn, Marine Ornithology Manager for NatureScot, said: ’It’s fantastic to work together on this innovative solution to monitor puffin populations. Puffins are now classified as critically endangered, and this work will be a step-change for how we monitor these important seabirds. It’s also arrived at a crucial time to help build the evidence we need to achieve the Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan.’

Ellie Owen, the Trust’s Senior Seabird Officer, said: ’The National Trust for Scotland looks after more puffins than any other organisation in the UK, so finding new ways to improve our care of puffins is vital to our conservation planning. It may be surprising to people that for a species as well-known as puffins we lack adequate methods to collect basic data, such as how many puffins there are in Scotland and how successfully they breed each year. This partnership and funding will finally give puffins their moment in the spotlight of technological innovation and create the essential tools we have so far been missing.’

By bringing together public agencies, industry and academia, the project showcases how cross-sector collaboration can drive meaningful innovation in ecological monitoring and conservation.

The Trust’s Save our Seabirds appeal welcomes donations to support our vital seabird conservation projects. This appeal supports our vision to care for, share and protect Scotland’s nature, beauty and heritage for everyone to enjoy, as outlined in our 10-year strategy, launched in 2022.