With technology powered by video specialists Ace Nature and records collated by The Derbyshire Biological Records Centre (DRBC), hosted by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, anyone can now digitally discover the diverse habitats and wildlife of the Lightwood Nature Reserve in Buxton from anywhere in the world.
The new Wild Map brings together aerial photography, satellite imagery, 3D models, videos, audio recordings and comparative images from volunteers fixed point photography at the reserve.
The public, scientists, researchers and both local and national decision makers can now access this information to monitor new species, track conservation efforts, and explore the wildlife on the site.
In July a parasitic wasp, the Pseudogonalos hahniiI, was sighted at the reserve during a Sorby Invertebrate Group recording visit. A month later, the first record of the Essex skipper butterfly in Buxton was found on site. Both have been added to the Wild Map, alongside other species records.
Lightwood is home to the Nestlé Pure Life spring water source, bottled nearby at the Nestlé Waters UK site at Waterswallows. In 2020, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust began working in partnership with the Nestlé Waters UK to deliver a land management and nature restoration plan for the site. Four years on, more than 1,500 species have been recorded on the site and the area is a thriving nature reserve for people and wildlife to enjoy.
Now it is home to a rich mosaic of nationally important habitats including woodland, moorland, flower-rich grassland, marsh, ponds and streams, which support a wide variety of wildlife, including birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects and plants.
