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
No showcases have been added to this group yet.
St. Lawrence University
Professor of Biology at St. Lawrence University
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 12 Groups
- @diego_lizcano
- | He/Him
Wildlife biologist interested in biodiversity monitoring and the conservation of mammals. Passionate photographer.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @ecosystem2
- | he/him
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
wildlife crime WWF-NL
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @sruizguz
- | He / Him / His
Laboratory research technician at the Kitzes lab - University of Pittsburgh. My research focuses on acoustic monitoring for ecology and conservation.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @jenlaw
- | She/Her
Biodiversity scientist specialising specialising in the study of tropical ecosystems and their biodiversity using multiple forms of technology, including acoustics, images and robotics.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 14 Groups
- @dieagomezmor
- | he/him/his
Master in biology with a background in GIS, bioacoustics and soundscape ecology.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 3 Groups
The University of Queensland
Passionate about using technology and data to solve conservation issues.
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 9 Groups
- @ldbraunholtz
- | she/her
(Tropical) forest ecologist w interest: biodiversity, camera traps, community led conservation & more. Passionate about inclusive nature for all.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 10 Groups
- @Riley
- | she/they
I'm a Data Scientist at Western EcoSystems Technology. I am interested in AI processing and statistical modeling of acoustic data and camera trap and drone imagery.
- 3 Resources
- 5 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @jscanass
- | he/him
University College London (UCL) & Red Ecoacústica Colombiana
PhD Student at UCL
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 8 Groups
Careers
Join the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance as a Postdoctoral Fellow! Lead groundbreaking bioacoustic and ML research to conserve burrowing owls in SoCal.
26 November 2024
Link
AmazonTEC: 4D Technology for Biodiversity Monitoring in the Amazon (English)
Elsa Carla De Grandi
Interesting webinar on the use of advanced technologies(e.g. Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, drones, camera traps and satellites) for biodiversity monitoring in the Amazon. Also available in Spanish.
25 November 2024
Careers
Arctic Acoustic Technician
Alex Rood
WCS iseeking candidates for an acoustic technician position to support the Western Arctic Program’s ongoing work using passive acoustic monitoring to study marine mammals, fish, and underwater noise in the Canadian...
19 November 2024
Careers
1 year research role working on the FrogID citizen science project
13 November 2024
Article
Apply Now: AI for Conservation Office Hours 2025
Jake Burton and 1 more
Are you stuck on an AI or ML challenge in your conservation work? Apply now for the chance to receive tailored expert advice from data scientists! The deadline for applications is Monday 9 December 2024.
13 November 2024
Careers
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Conservation Technology Lab seeks a postdoctoral associate for a three-year position applying their machine learning expertise to bioacoustics problems in ecology and conservation.
1 November 2024
Article
You can now pick with or without switch
21 October 2024
Link
Women and GIS
Szilvia Szilagyi
Empower GIS day, 20th of November 2024 Welcome to join over the globe
9 October 2024
Link
Very nice video!
7 October 2024
Careers
MS and PhD Opportunities in Ocean Engineering and Oceanography
Camille Pagniello
The Marine Innovation Lab for Leading-edge Oceanography develops hardware and software to expand the ocean observing network and for the sustainable management of natural resources. For Fall 2025, we are actively...
6 October 2024
Article
Bat Detector for iOS added to Inventory
Phil Atkin
Not really news, but it's worth shouting about!
2 October 2024
August 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
October 2025
event
Vanesa Reyes
November 2025
November 2023
64 Products
Recently updated products
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| These would be infrasound, so no the sealed volume doesn't need to be buried. It only needs to be a few cc total volume for a single element. I found an old poster... |
+12
|
Acoustics | 10 months ago | |
| Thanks, we know they are breeding these animals here, I asked, since it's seems to be an expensive hobby, we need to allocate more funding for rural women in entrepreneurship and... |
|
Acoustics, Animal Movement, Citizen Science, Human-Wildlife Coexistence, Protected Area Management Tools, Wildlife Crime | 10 months ago | |
| WildMon, Terra Genesis, The VF Foundation, Thaksin University, and the Wanakaset Symbiosis Network have teamed up on a new project in... |
|
Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Community Base | 10 months 1 week ago | |
| This looks awesome! |
|
Acoustics | 10 months 1 week ago | |
| I would love to see my bat detector designs in use in Africa - drop me a line, let's see if we can get something to happen - I'm pipistrelledetector at gmail dot comhttp://www.... |
|
Citizen Science, Acoustics, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Human-Wildlife Coexistence | 10 months 2 weeks ago | |
| Hi Phil, Thanks for sharing - this is really interesting work! Seems like a cool integration of ground-based (or ocean-based) data and satellite data, with a community... |
|
Geospatial, Acoustics, Camera Traps, eDNA & Genomics | 10 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Or you could use my sbts-aru project. Which is free software that runs on Raspberry Pis. It also allows you to perform sound localization remotely if required, without bringing... |
|
Acoustics | 10 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Yes, predation is a significant conservation issue, especially for vulnerable species. Invasive predators can harm native wildlife, and carnivores preying on livestock often lead... |
|
Acoustics | 10 months 3 weeks ago | |
| I shared some information on different ARU options in this post which might help! |
|
Acoustics | 11 months ago | |
| Thanks for the plug, @Rob_Appleby Yes, we do a lot of work with audio playback as a nonlethal deterrent. We generally don’t do any work on identifying the animal... |
|
Acoustics | 11 months 1 week ago | |
| Hi Sean! I was the one who annotated these recordings and this is definitely a mistake- that song is a Hauxwell's Thrush; it's annotated correctly with 15622 but not with... |
|
Acoustics | 11 months 2 weeks ago | |
| @calyptura Try using another version of the download scripts that you can download from this link. There are 2 version of the script available. |
|
Acoustics | 11 months 2 weeks ago |
