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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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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| 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... |
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Acoustics | 7 months 4 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... |
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Acoustics | 8 months ago | |
| I shared some information on different ARU options in this post which might help! |
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Acoustics | 8 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... |
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Acoustics | 8 months 2 weeks 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... |
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Acoustics | 8 months 3 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. |
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Acoustics | 8 months 3 weeks ago | |
| We actually recently introduced Recording Schedules - where you can control the PUC's duty cycle during (Day, Night, Dawn, Dusk). |
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Acoustics | 8 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Hey Xavier! Thank you for your interest and question!! The overarching goal of the FinDrop v1 for the WildLabs award is to characterize an instrument and make it as, if... |
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Acoustics, Build Your Own Data Logger Community, Marine Conservation, Protected Area Management Tools, Sustainable Fishing Challenges | 8 months 3 weeks ago | |
| The main takeaway from this particular localization was that a gunshot was able to be detected considerably further than I previously thought. 2.7km is really far I think for a... |
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Acoustics | 9 months 1 week ago | |
| Hi Nick,Yes, It's very common to have big data in the SD cards when recording bats!I agree with Carly's comments. Indeed, I suggest you make a schedule so you do not record... |
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Acoustics | 9 months 1 week ago | |
| So excited for this! These topics are all super relevant and comprehensive. Maybe one thing that might be interesting to hear about is projects where PAM is combined with... |
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Acoustics | 9 months 1 week ago | |
| Hi Stefan,Sorry, I'm not sure I fully understand your question.If you're referring to my first comment, the package I initially tried didn't work with my dataset. The likely... |
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Acoustics | 9 months 1 week ago |
