Acoustic sensors enable efficient and non-invasive monitoring of a wide range of species, including many that are difficult to monitor in other ways. Although they were initially limited in application scope largely due to cost and hardware constraints, the development of low-cost, open-source models like the Audiomoth in recent years has increased access immensely and opened up new avenues of research. For example, some teams are using them to identify illicit human activities through the detection of associated sounds, like gunshots, vehicles, or chainsaws (e.g. OpenEars).
With this relatively novel dimension of wildlife monitoring rapidly advancing in both marine and terrestrial systems, it is crucial that we identify and share information about the utility and constraints of these sensors to inform efforts. A recent study identified advancements in hardware and machine learning applications, as well as early development of acoustic biodiversity indicators, as factors facilitating progress in the field. In terms of limitations, the authors highlight insufficient reference sound libraries, a lack of open-source audio processing tools, and a need for standardization of survey and analysis protocols. They also stress the importance of collaboration in moving forward, which is precisely what this group will aim to facilitate.
If you're new to acoustic monitoring and want to get up to speed on the basics, check out these beginner's resources and conversations from across the WILDLABS platform:
Three Resources for Beginners:
- Listening to Nature: The Emerging Field of Bioacoustics, Adam Welz
- Ecoacoustics and Biodiversity Monitoring, RSEC Journal
- Monitoring Ecosystems through Sound: The Present and Future of Passive Acoustics, Ella Browning and Rory Gibb
Three Forum Threads for Beginners:
- AudioMoth user guide | Tessa Rhinehart
- Audiomoth and Natterjack Monitoring (UK) | Stuart Newson
- Help with analysing bat recordings from Audiomoth | Carlos Abrahams
Three Tutorials for Beginners:
- "How do I perform automated recordings of bird assemblages?" | Carlos Abrahams, Tech Tutors
- "How do I scale up acoustic surveys with Audiomoths and automated processing?" | Tessa Rhinehart, Tech Tutors
- Acoustic Monitoring | David Watson, Ruby Lee, Andy Hill, and Dimitri Ponirakis, Virtual Meetups
Want to know more about acoustic monitoring and learn from experts in the WILDLABS community? Jump into the discussion in our Acoustic Monitoring group!
Header image: Carly Batist
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- @Harsha
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I am a marine biologist / acoustic ecologist from Australia. Fascinated by bioacoustics, I always look forward to learning from people in conservation!
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Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) & SENSR
We track changes in wildlife and their habitats in Alberta, working collaboratively to provide ongoing, relevant, scientifically credible information.


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Holder of BSc in Applied Zoology. Assistant Ecologist at Ruaha National park.


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- @Martincho
- | tincho
Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA)
Postdoc at Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA - Jujuy National University - CONICET).
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University of Zurich
PhD student at the University of Zürich (CH) in PopEcol group, working with camera traps and mammals
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- @fsattar
- | Farook
Farook Sattar received his Technical Licentiate and PhD degrees from Lund University, Sweden. He obtained his B.Eng and M.Eng degrees from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), Dhaka in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
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University of Antwerp

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- @sarah_dalrymple
- | she/her
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

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British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
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- 11 Discussions
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- @andrew-1234
- | He/Him
PhD in Ecology; I like software development, and working with spatial and acoustic methods applied to species monitoring and research.
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I'm a MIDS graduate student at UC Berkeley working on a citizen science app for automated frog call identification. I'd like to know how users interact with such apps and their pain points. This 5-minute survey will...
27 September 2024
The African Bioacoustics Conference!
18 September 2024
After all the discussion about calibration yesterday during the bioacoustics hardware call, I figured I should link to my talk on the subject from a few years ago.
6 September 2024
The Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform opened it's Coral Accelerator Program 2024 for internationally collaborating teams to apply with innovative projects ranging from 'novel early-phase' to 'final...
26 August 2024
The IQOE Task Team on Low-Cost Hydrophones for Research, Education and Citizen Science would like to understand the needs of all hydrophone end-users. Please answer a few questions in this online survey! By...
26 August 2024
Join us for Season Five of the WILDLABS Virtual Meetup Series, tuning in to the world of Bioacoustics! Laying the groundwork for our new horizon scan research, each event will convene cross-sector experts to explore a...
22 August 2024
Join us in celebrating this year’s Judging Panele Award winners!
19 August 2024
Join us in celebrating this year’s Community Choice Award winners!
15 August 2024
Vote for your favorite submissions that best demonstrate conservation impact, novel innovation/discovery, and strong storytelling of the work and the sector.
12 August 2024
On the final day of the #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge, we wrap up looking at past and current submissions that feature the fastest growing areas of conservation tech. Today’s topic: bioacoustics!
9 August 2024
We are thrilled to introduce our new horizon scan, which will chart the future of bioacoustics. By collectively prioritizing emerging innovations that could transform the field, we aim to build consensus, facilitate...
5 August 2024
Wildlife Acoustics is proud to offer a grant program to support the advancement of wildlife research, habitat monitoring, and environmental conservation
4 August 2024
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Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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I didn't see this post until the digest came out, but if you still need some comments... I suggest asking this question on one of the sound recordists forums. The... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 3 months ago | |
Hi all, The UK Acoustics Network's Bioacoustics special interest group is hosting a monthly webinar series starting this month (... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 4 months ago | |
I'm assuming that by "sort by frequencies" you mean the frequency of the call itself, not the frequency of the audio recording (for example, a call at 1KHz vs a... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 4 months ago | |
Hi everyone, we’ve decided to extend the survey for 3 more weeks, until the 18th of April! That will be the final date (the online survey tool we use is not free,... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 4 months ago | |
Ah, perfect. I was wondering why I never hear those calls! That's really nice work, thanks so much for sharing! |
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Acoustics | 4 years 6 months ago | |
The BTO Acoustic Pipeline, to support the sound identification of bats, and other species groups that are recorded as ‘by-catch... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 6 months ago | |
Awesome tools are out there for bioacoustic monitoring - so jazzed about the growing acoustic community! Here's another... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 6 months ago | |
Hi all thanks for the answers! Carly - thanks, will have to try yours. I did the course at the Organisation of Tropical Studies with Marcelo, which was awesome, but this is not... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 6 months ago | |
Tom Dally at Leeds University UK is doing work in this area. I dont think he has anything published yet but his preliminary results are interesting (saw them at a workshop).... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 7 months ago | |
Hi @pmnguyen1224 , thanks for reaching out and checking out the system! We would love to help ensure that you're able to get pattern matching to work for... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation | 4 years 7 months ago | |
I’ll stick some thoughts here that other folk can maybe comment on/add to. So there are a few (obvious) differences between terrestrial and marine... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 8 months ago | |
Hi Steph! It could be either - if there was anyone out there for whom this work would be a good fit for their current role, then that would be easy, but if they needed... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 9 months ago |