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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- @CaseyAliveAI
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I'm an AI developer focused on ecology and the director of Alive AI
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- @geoffcarss
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CEO of Wilder Sensing - using AI to better understand changes to biodiversity using acoustic sensors
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Animal tech startup founder
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I am a conservation behaviour researcher interested in acoustic and olfactory cues, and how they influence foraging responses.
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- @BrunaTeixeira
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Master and PhD student in the Postgraduate Program in Animal Biology. She works mainly in Landscape Ecology with an emphasis on bioacoustics and interactions between primates.
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CEH
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International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Key Biodiversity Areas Programme Officer, IUCN
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Article
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Read about the advice provided by AI specialists in AI Conservation Office Hours 2025 earlier this year and reflect on how this helped projects so far.
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This paper includes, in its supplementary materials, a helpful table comparing several acoustic recorders used in terrestrial environments, along with associated audio and metadata information.
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Conservation International is proud to announce the launch of the Nature Tech for Biodiversity Sector Map, developed in partnership with the Nature Tech Collective!
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I didn't see this post until the digest came out, but if you still need some comments... I suggest asking this question on one of the sound recordists forums. The... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 3 months ago | |
| Hi all, The UK Acoustics Network's Bioacoustics special interest group is hosting a monthly webinar series starting this month (... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 4 months ago | |
| I'm assuming that by "sort by frequencies" you mean the frequency of the call itself, not the frequency of the audio recording (for example, a call at 1KHz vs a... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 4 months ago | |
| Hi everyone, we’ve decided to extend the survey for 3 more weeks, until the 18th of April! That will be the final date (the online survey tool we use is not free,... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 4 months ago | |
| Ah, perfect. I was wondering why I never hear those calls! That's really nice work, thanks so much for sharing! |
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Acoustics | 4 years 6 months ago | |
| The BTO Acoustic Pipeline, to support the sound identification of bats, and other species groups that are recorded as ‘by-catch... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 6 months ago | |
| Awesome tools are out there for bioacoustic monitoring - so jazzed about the growing acoustic community! Here's another... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 6 months ago | |
| Hi all thanks for the answers! Carly - thanks, will have to try yours. I did the course at the Organisation of Tropical Studies with Marcelo, which was awesome, but this is not... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 7 months ago | |
| Tom Dally at Leeds University UK is doing work in this area. I dont think he has anything published yet but his preliminary results are interesting (saw them at a workshop).... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 7 months ago | |
| Hi @pmnguyen1224 , thanks for reaching out and checking out the system! We would love to help ensure that you're able to get pattern matching to work for... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation | 4 years 7 months ago | |
| I’ll stick some thoughts here that other folk can maybe comment on/add to. So there are a few (obvious) differences between terrestrial and marine... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 8 months ago | |
| Hi Steph! It could be either - if there was anyone out there for whom this work would be a good fit for their current role, then that would be easy, but if they needed... |
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Acoustics | 4 years 9 months ago |
