STIHL makes the effectiveness of environmental measures visible across 20 ha with 49 species

Before Hula

One baseline, one direct comparison

STIHL had already installed nesting aids and insect hotels and created flowering strips and orchard meadows at its industrial site in Waiblingen. What the company did not know was which measures were working and how species diversity differed between managed zones and heavily sealed areas such as car parks.

This question became more important with every additional site. A suitable local expert had to be found, and the methodology had to be aligned between sites. In the end, the reports were difficult to compare because they used different formats.

The Hula solution

Two sensors, one direct comparison

Together with Hula, STIHL uses automated, AI-assisted monitoring at industrial sites where ecological measures have already been implemented. The goal is to establish a baseline and compare bird presence between differently managed and highly urbanised areas. Manual surveys are no longer necessary, nor is any additional work for the STIHL team. The system runs fully automatically.

• BioT sensors for acoustic recording
• Acoustic monitoring with AI-assisted analysis
• Direct comparison: ecological management zones vs. sealed/urbanised areas
• Designed for long-term comparison of biodiversity development over several years

The Hula impact

Numerical evidence of effectiveness and reduced staff effort

STIHL uses Hula's automated monitoring at several international sites. Data from its industrial site in Waiblingen show what this means in practice. Across the 20-hectare site, 49 bird species were recorded in more than 6,000 detections. The European robin was the most frequently detected species, with 925 detections. There are clearly measurable differences in species presence between ecological management zones and heavily sealed areas such as car parks.

The figures clearly show which areas contribute to species diversity. Reliable data replace guesswork. On this basis, STIHL can evaluate individual measures such as nesting aids, insect hotels or flowering strips, target future investments more precisely and use the results for company-wide sustainability goals.

Because Hula replaces external mapping at each site and delivers results directly in a consistent format, the internal coordination and preparation normally required per site are also eliminated. This represents an estimated saving in staff capacity of around €42,500 per year and site.

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"These insights allow us to compare company sites worldwide and set concrete biodiversity targets that we can work towards transparently.

What we did not expect was the enthusiasm and engagement of our employees."

Dr. Friedemann Stock, Vice President Sustainability