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.
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 1 Groups
Mobile developer w/ a passion for nature and conservation
- 1 Resources
- 17 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @kgkelly
- | He/Him
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI)
I am an ornithologist with a particular interest in passive acoustic monitoring and AI solutions.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 12 Groups
https://www.songquanong.com/
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @ccosma
- | he/him
Ecologist and conservation biologist with a focus on insects and plant-insect interactions
- 0 Resources
- 3 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- @TMonteiro
- | she/her
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 9 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 10 Groups
- @wyoerger
- | she/her
I'm passionate about mindful birding practices, recording bird vocalizations, and learning more about animal behavior.
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 3 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 2 Groups
- @CaseyAliveAI
- | He/Him
I'm an AI developer focused on ecology and the director of Alive AI
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
Article
#Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge: Our favourites from 2016
WILDLABS Admin
Are you ready for this year's #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge? In anticipation, we're counting down our ten favourite entries from last year. Do you think you can top these?
1 March 2017
Funding
Conservation Leadership Programme 2017 Award
WILDLABS Admin
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a training and capacity building programme that targets individuals from developing countries who are early in their conservation career and demonstrate leadership...
21 November 2016
Funding
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grants via USFWS
WILDLABS Admin
Do you work on conserving Neotropical migratory birds? Do you need funding? Why not apply for a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act's grant program? The...
8 November 2016
Article
Caves don't tend to be well-liked ecosystems, being extremely dark, often quite cramped, and slippery. And the creepy-crawlies that live within them can be the stuff of nightmares. Nevertheless, one's attitude towards...
25 July 2016
Article
More than half of all primate species are endangered, including our closest living relative, the chimpanzee. Could Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) be applied to primates as well as it has been for other taxa? In this...
29 June 2016
Article
Since 2013, volunteer citizen scientists taking part in the Norfolk Bat Survey have generated over 1.2 million bat recordings, making this one of the most extensive high-quality datasets for bats collected by citizen...
5 February 2016
Article
Report outlines 2016's most pressing conservation issues
Olivia Bailey
New horizon scanning report published this month identifies 15 emerging threats and opportunities for global biodiversity.
3 February 2016
August 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
October 2025
event
Vanesa Reyes
November 2025
June 2023
event
Stephanie O'Donnell
event
Esther Githinji
May 2023
event
Wildlife Acoustics
April 2023
event
Netty Cheruto
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 |
