Automatic counters have been installed at green spaces (SANGs) in the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) to count visitors. This was previously done by wardens with hand-held counters. The new counters ensure more extensive data on visitor numbers, which will assist with operations including wardening. There are now 77 SANGs across the SPA, which is spread across 11 authority areas in Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey. They continue to receive many local visits, a trend which was particularly noticeable during lockdown. The SPA came into being in 2005, to protect the habitat of endangered ground-nesting birds – the woodlark, nightjar and Dartford warbler.