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.
Cornell University
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 12 Groups
- @Heloise
- | She / Her
Bio-acoustician, marine biologist, marine mammal specialist, drone enthusiast
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 9 Groups
- @katja
- | she/her
AI/ML consultant for climate/environment solutions industry
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @karinnacvijanovich
- | she/her
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @Giu.Appel
- | Her
Brazilian biologist, PhD in Ecology and 10 yrs of experience in the Amazon with bat bioacoustics
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 5 Groups
Researcher interested in waterbird ecology and conservation
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @Dominik
- | He/Him
PhD Student on bio- and ecoacoustics at the University of Freiburg (GER)
- 0 Resources
- 3 Discussions
- 2 Groups
University of Salford
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @ryanhuang
- | He/Him/His
Conservation scientist based in Pretoria, South Africa
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 6 Groups
An Environmental sciences and Management graduate from SUA, passionate and eager to drive change to the Environment, making World a better place for present and future generations.
- 4 Resources
- 35 Discussions
- 14 Groups
- @charlene.wood
- | She/Her/They/Them
Senior wildlife biologist and entomologist with a background in community data analysis and bioacoustics
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- @hyodopenguin
- | she/her
I am currently a rising junior at UC Berkeley studying data science. I hope to apply data with biodiversity, especially by utilizing camera traps for species classification. People in conservation tech are truly living my dream careers, and I can't wait to get even more inspired!
- 0 Resources
- 5 Discussions
- 23 Groups
Article
The Inventory User Guide
Jake Burton
Read in detail about how to use The Inventory, our new living directory of conservation technology tools, organisations, and R&D projects.
1 May 2024
Article
Introducing The Inventory!
Jake Burton
The Inventory is your one-stop shop for conservation technology tools, organisations, and R&D projects. Start contributing to it now!
1 May 2024
Careers
Hiring Chief Engineer at Conservation X Labs
Henrik Cox
Technology to End the Sixth Mass Extinction. Salary: $132 - $160k; Location: Seattle WA; 7+ years of experience in hardware product development and manufacturing; View post for full job description
1 May 2024
Careers
TBC is looking for an applicant to lead on the design, analysis and reporting of data from a wide range of innovative bat population monitoring surveys with a particular focus on passive acoustic monitoring, undertake...
24 April 2024
Careers
Full-time 3 year postdoctoral fellowship in Escondido, CA
22 April 2024
Article
In a recent publication we tested Underwater Passive Acoustic Monitoring (UPAM) as a feasible non-invasive technique to study the calling behavior of therathened aquatic Andean frogs under natural conditions in the...
6 April 2024
Link
Check out how water-based sporting events are impacting underwater noise pollution for marine life.
3 April 2024
Marine bioacoustics is making waves in Science News!
3 April 2024
Careers
What can soundscapes tell us about ecosystem functioning and health? We are looking to hire a postdoctoral researcher in ecoacoustics for Nature Recovery at Oxford
2 April 2024
Link
Hi, I am Anish and I'm new to this platform! I host the Think Wildlife Podcast and wanted to share a recent episode with Bourhan Yassini. We talk in-depth about the role of AI and bioacoustics in conservation. Tune...
28 March 2024
Link
The Freshwater Sounds Archive
Jack Greenhalgh
Introducing The Freshwater Sounds Archive, a global database of sounds produced by freshwater species. Submit your species-specific or unidentified sounds to the archive now and receive recognition for your...
15 March 2024
Careers
Hussey Labs seeks a senior post-doctoral researcher/senior research associate for movement ecology of Greenland halibut in the context of fisheries management across Baffin Bay-Davis Strait, Eastern Canadian Arctic.
13 March 2024
August 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
October 2025
event
Vanesa Reyes
November 2025
July 2023
June 2023
event
Stephanie O'Donnell
64 Products
Recently updated products
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As someone from the future, thank you for posting this update! |
|
Acoustics | 5 days 1 hour ago | |
| Dear Colleagues,I hope this message finds you well. I am Manuel Sánchez Nivicela., an independent ornithology researcher based in Ecuador,... |
|
Funding and Finance, Acoustics, Latin America Community | 5 days 20 hours ago | |
| Kudos for such an innovative approach—integrating additional sensors with acoustic recorders is a brilliant step forward! I'm especially interested in how you tackle energy... |
|
Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Latin America Community, Open Source Solutions | 1 week 1 day ago | |
| 🐝 Apis Nomadica Labs: Mapping Royal Jelly Terroir Through Mobile Bee BiotechAbout Us:Apis Nomadica Labs is a mobile apiary research... |
|
Acoustics, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Animal Movement, Human-Wildlife Coexistence | 1 week 2 days ago | |
| Awesome, I think I get what you mean! Thank you! |
|
Acoustics | 2 weeks 2 days ago | |
| This is such a compelling direction, especially the idea of linking unsupervised vocalisation clustering to generative models for controlled playback. I haven’t seen much done... |
|
Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech | 2 weeks 3 days ago | |
| Hi Josept! Thank you for sharing your experience! This types of feedback are important for the community to know about when choosing what tech to use for their work. Would you be... |
|
Acoustics, Latin America Community, Software Development | 3 weeks 1 day ago | |
| Another option you can try is HawkEars, which is a classifier made particularly for Canadian birds. Unlike BirdNET, it doesn't have a graphical interface, though. |
|
Acoustics | 3 weeks 1 day ago | |
| PROJECT UPDATE: We are curating an open-access, annotated acoustic dataset for India! 🇮🇳🌿This project has two main goals:🎧 To develop a freely available dataset of annotated... |
|
Acoustics | 4 weeks 2 days ago | |
| Just to provide an update to my post from 2021. Colleagues and I at the BTO have built a species classifier now for the BTO Acoustic Pipeline for the sound identification of all... |
+10
|
Acoustics | 1 month ago | |
| Thanks @Adrien_Pajot, we are! Also buoys! |
|
Acoustics, Animal Movement | 1 month 1 week ago | |
| I create ocean exploration and marine life content on YouTube, whether it be recording nautilus on BRUVs, swimming with endangered bowmouth... |
|
Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Animal Movement, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Drones, Emerging Tech, Marine Conservation, Sensors, Sustainable Fishing Challenges, Wildlife Crime | 1 month 2 weeks ago |
