We’re excited to launch our WILDLABS-funded project to adapt open-source recording hardware and AI tools to help monitor amphibians, with an initial focus on one of South America's most iconic and endangered frogs: Rhinoderma darwinii.

Our team includes researchers and students from INIBIOMA-UNCo (@boninom, @Enrique_Lozano, @VMRocchi), CITTECA-UNRN (@javierareta, @mdenham, @marianbasti), and staff from the Administración de Parques Nacionales (@cpozzi, @VMRocchi, @Anabellacarp).

In the remote Valdivian rainforest of Patagonia, R. darwinii has become increasingly rare, with many historical populations disappearing from the Argentine side of the Andes. Confirming its continued presence in these areas is critical — but traditional field surveys are time-consuming, invasive, and often inconclusive.

With support from the WILDLABS Awards, our team will:

🛠️ Redesign and enhance open-source AudioMoth devices to include sensors for humidity, temperature, pressure, and light, turning them into multi-sensor loggers capable of collecting environmental and acoustic data simultaneously.

🔋 Integrate rechargeable batteries and solar panels for sustainable long-term deployment in remote areas.

🧠 Apply deep learning algorithms tailored to amphibian calls to automate the detection of R. darwinii and other species with greater accuracy.

🌎 Generate a publicly available dataset of annotated amphibian calls to support future research in the region and beyond.

This effort aims to empower local researchers with tools that are low-cost, scalable, and adaptable to diverse ecosystems.

We’re looking forward to building and sharing these tools with the broader conservation tech community.