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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!

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@jscanass
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University College London (UCL) & Red Ecoacústica Colombiana

PhD Student at UCL

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@Gathoni
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PhD Candidate at Nottingham Trent University, UK. Ecologist with a passion for wildlife conservation and conservation technology with foundational training in BSc and MSc Rangeland Management (Ecology option). Current project: Use of acoustics to monitor ecosystem restoration.

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@Nick_Tregenza

Develops acoustics for cetacean and bat monitoring: F-POD, C-POD, BatBug

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@OpenAcousticDevices

Open Acoustic Devices

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@AlexBats
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@nicktechs
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creative technologist

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@mattmorrissette

Wildlife Protection Solutions (WPS)

Director of Technology at Wildlife Protection Solutions. Primarily focuses on leveraging machine learning and advanced data analytics to combat poaching, monitor biodiversity, and predict environmental threats.

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@Alasdair

Arribada Initiative

Director at Arribada, a UK-based conservation technology research & development organisation

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@Sasi
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I am a researcher working on non-human primates in southern India

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@iambaddoh_tz

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@danavery

Senior web developer and ML practitioner

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@Tysmucker
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Wildlife Biologist/Conflict Specialist and drone enthusiast in Montana

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Description	Activity	Replies	Groups	Updated
Looking for a Supervisor/Research Group - ML-driven Marine Biomonitoring	Thanks Aude, very useful. Will reach out to them!		Early Career, Acoustics, eDNA & Genomics, Marine Conservation, Protected Area Management Tools	1 year 7 months ago
Bird Acoustic Surveys: Comparison with traditional transect methods	A very nice read, especially for me someone new to the field as myself. Nice to see all of the various approaches and to know I wasn't re-inventing the wheel but adding something...		Acoustics	1 year 7 months ago
Practical sound localization on the Raspberry Pi	Cool! My Sound Localization project has hit hackaday. The use case of fireworks localization was pure sensationalism.		Acoustics	1 year 7 months ago
Hydromoth for coastal & offshore surveying	If you are considering an external microphone and a towed system, then you would also be in a position to consider a raspberry pi with an external microphone with sbts-aru....		Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Marine Conservation, Sustainable Fishing Challenges	1 year 7 months ago
New Raspberry Pi Sound Localizing ARU is now fully released and ready for use	When I designed the recorder. I chose it to use jackd2 instead of pulse audio or direct alsa access because unless I was mistaken it could support multiple consumers of the sound...	+11	Acoustics	1 year 7 months ago
Which market-available microphones, accelerometers and GIS sensors for dogs / pets ?	I am not an acoustics person but train and deploy canines in the field. Are you looking for something that records sniff rate and patterns? For GPS I just use a Garmin...		Acoustics, Animal Movement, Geospatial	1 year 8 months ago
Call for Interview Subjects: Conservation Bioacoustics Methods	Thank you Stefan! Will follow up with your email shortly.		Acoustics, Emerging Tech, Ethics of Conservation Tech	1 year 8 months ago
Deploying Song Meters in Nigeria	Hi Joan,Sounds like a great project! I would recommend having a look at some of the nice review literature and guidelines that are out there, like - https://www.researchgate....		Acoustics	1 year 8 months ago
Flying with li-ion batteries	Thanks Akiba, good to know you had no problems with those, and those cases look good. Having read a bit more, it actually seems that in theory there is no limit to the number of...		Acoustics	1 year 9 months ago
Seeking AudioMoth in SF Bay Area	You're awesome Tim, thank you! However, we ordered another from GroupGets yesterday and it's arriving tomorrow, so we (should) be good to go : ) Now if I can only get...		Acoustics	1 year 9 months ago
Replacement (cheaper) foam mic covers	Brilliant - thank you.! Great idea about the screen too - I'm replacing some of them monthly so may try that myself. Have you found any issues with the mesh generating...		Acoustics	1 year 9 months ago
Searching for researchers working in Africa	Hi Vicki,I've sent you a private message.	+1	Acoustics	1 year 9 months ago

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University College London (UCL) & Red Ecoacústica Colombiana

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Ellie Warren

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Smithsonian Institution

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Carly Batist

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Ellie Warren

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Stephanie O'Donnell

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Ellie Warren

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Louisa Richmond-Coggan

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Vanesa Reyes

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Wildlife Acoustics

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Vanesa Reyes

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Vanesa Reyes

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Wildlife Drones

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Jordan Steward

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