Case study · Cities & real estate

The last Lombard heathlands, listened to by sensors

Conservation of heathland and forest habitats across 8,131 hectares of protected area under strong anthropic pressure, with bioacoustic sensors, technological beehives and satellite mapping.

Client: Parco delle Groane
Sector: Cities & real estate

Unique heathlands disappearing under urban pressure

Peri-urban protected areas face constant pressure. Habitat fragmentation, invasive species, light pollution and land consumption erode biodiversity year after year. Pollinator decline and heathland degradation compromise ecosystem services such as water regulation, air quality and urban heat island mitigation. Yet a peri-urban park is also an opportunity: a biodiversity reservoir that, if monitored with scientific data, can act as an ecological reconnection node between fragmented areas.

The challenge

A continuous census to know where biodiversity persists and where it doesn't

The Park's heathlands are among the last on the Lombard plain, but management lacked a structured, continuous overview of ecosystem health. Multi-habitat monitoring was needed. Only with current data can managers decide where to act and how to allocate resources , separating thriving areas from those declining.

What we did

BioGro: Spectrum, Hive-Tech and academic research across 8,131 hectares

XNatura designed the monitoring within the BioGro project, with the Universities of Milan and Turin, combining IoT sensors and satellite analysis.

In the field

Parco delle Groane - Polly Hotel pollinator shelter

Parco delle Groane - Spectrum bioacoustic sensor

How we did it

From satellite analysis to field monitoring

A project integrating remote sensing, bioacoustic IoT sensors, biomonitoring with beehives and citizen science, in collaboration with the Universities of Milan and Turin.

01Satellite analysis across 8,131 hectaresBefore deploying sensors in the field, it was necessary to understand where to focus efforts. The satellite mapping of the entire Park, processed with artificial intelligence models, produced a picture of biodiversity potential area by area: vegetation indices, nectar potential, land cover. This made it possible to identify the most promising and most degraded habitats, guiding the choice of field monitoring stations.
028 Spectrum and 4 Hive-Tech in the fieldTo listen to pollinators in the Park's different environments, 8 bioacoustic Spectrum sensors were placed at 4 stations selected based on the satellite mapping: heathland, broadleaf woodland, wetland and urban fringe. In parallel, 4 beehives already present in the Park were equipped with Hive-Tech technology, turning the colonies into biomonitoring stations capable of detecting weight, temperature, humidity and sound intensity.
03Transects, butterflies and trainingUnderstanding pollinator status cannot exclude diurnal butterflies: in collaboration with the Universities of Milan and Turin, monitoring transects in Special Conservation Zones were doubled from 2 to 4 to cover more ecotypes. Biweekly sampling (April-September) using non-invasive methods feeds the European eBMS database. Sustainable beekeeping courses train beekeepers as biodiversity cultivators, and Voluntary Ecological Guards strengthen the citizen science network.
04From data to conservation strategiesThe true goal of monitoring is to translate data into management decisions. Spectrum, Hive-Tech, transects and satellite analysis converge in the XNatura Environmental Platform, giving the Park a single dashboard to identify where to remove alien species, where to reintroduce native species, how to manage heathlands and where to plan restoration interventions. Continuous monitoring enables adaptive management: priorities are updated with data, not estimates.

What the data says

Data from the Park

The presence of 10 protected areas within 5 km of the site places the Park in an ecological context of great value, strengthening its role as a node in the regional conservation network. Satellite mapping covered all 8,131 hectares, estimating nectar potential for each habitat and generating concrete guidelines for restoration. Butterfly transects, doubled from 2 to 4, brought data from the Lombard plain into the European eBMS database, placing the Park in a continental monitoring network.

Monitoring in action

Key sections of the XNatura Environmental Platform dedicated to the Parco delle Groane e della Brughiera Briantea.

Biodiversity statusMSA indices, land cover, Natural Patches, nesting sites, floral availability and nectar potential for the Park's 8,131 hectares, comparing heathland, woodland and wetland habitats.

MicroclimateSurface temperature, light pollution and microclimatic parameters across different Park zones, with analysis of anthropic pressure on urban margins.

Drought riskAridity indices, vegetation water stress and drought impact on heathland habitats and the Park's wetlands.

Hydrogeological riskFlood risk, landslide risk and hydrogeological analysis of different Park areas for planning mitigation interventions.

The platform

Access the XNatura Environmental Platform

The platform with which Parco delle Groane monitors biodiversity across 8,131 hectares of heathlands, woodlands and wetlands.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What was the environmental challenge at Parco delle Groane?

Unique heathlands disappearing under urban pressure. Peri-urban protected areas face constant pressure. Habitat fragmentation, invasive species, light pollution and land consumption erode biodiversity year after year. Pollinator decline and heathland degradation compromise ecosystem services such as water regulation, air quality and urban heat island mitigation. Yet a peri-urban park is also an opportunity: a biodiversity reservoir that, if monitored with scientific data, can act as an ecological reconnection node between fragmented areas.

What method did XNatura use at Parco delle Groane?

A project integrating remote sensing, bioacoustic IoT sensors, biomonitoring with beehives and citizen science, in collaboration with the Universities of Milan and Turin.

What data came out of the Parco delle Groane project?

For the first time, Parco delle Groane has a continuous bioacoustic census of its pollinators: 5,800 individuals monitored and 19 different clusters identified by the 8 Spectrum sensors at 4 multi-habitat stations. The data, collected across 11 polygons analysed on site, made it possible to correlate species abundance and diversity with different land cover types, confirming heathland areas as biodiversity hotspots and flagging urban fringe zones as the most impoverished. The presence of 10 protected areas within 5 km of the site places the Park in an ecological context of great value, strengthening its role as a node in the regional conservation network. Satellite mapping covered all 8,131 hectares, estimating nectar potential for each habitat and generating concrete guidelines for restoration. Butterfly transects, doubled from 2 to 4, brought data from the Lombard plain into the European eBMS database, placing the Park in a continental monitoring network.

What access does Parco delle Groane have to the XNatura platform now?

The platform with which Parco delle Groane monitors biodiversity across 8,131 hectares of heathlands, woodlands and wetlands.

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