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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Scientist interested in integrating remotely sensed habitat characterization with animal movement and acoustics datasets for conservation applications. Working at JPL and UCLA-IoES affliated
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Open Acoustic Devices
I am co-founder of Open Acoustic Devices, the creators of AudioMoth and HydroMoth. My background is Electronic Engineering and Computer Science.
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San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
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PhD Candidate at University College London. Research and develop wireless sensor networks for biodiversity monitoring. Currently working on a software package for AI bioacoustics classifiers on edge device.
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Saint Louis Zoo
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University of Oxford
I am a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford where I work on developing novel low-cost conservation technology (including AudioMoth and SnapperGPS).
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Link
News about a population survey of California Spotted Owls using 1,600 autonomous recording units in the Sierra Nevada region. Machine learning made analyzing this acoustic data possible at this large scale for the first...
29 August 2023
Careers
Reviewing Now: Animal Telemetry Postdoctoral Fellowship
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution seeks a field- and data-oriented biologist to support marine animal telemetry research and to assist with activities of the Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry (ACT) Network.
24 August 2023
Careers
RFCx/Arbimon is hiring a Quantitative Ecologist!
Carly Batist
Apply to work on a wonderful team translating acoustic monitoring data into conservation & ecological insights!
11 August 2023
Link
This article discusses Cornell's bioacoustics work with AI tools to recognize both elephant "voices" as well as gunshots. The elephant rumbles analyzed in this work are almost imperceptible to the human ear, but can be...
9 August 2023
Article
#Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge: Judges' Panel Honorees
WILDLABS Team
Please join us in celebrating this year’s top #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge Honorees as chosen by our panel of leading conservation organization judges, and enjoy the story contained within these entries about how our...
4 August 2023
Careers
Senior Technical Specialist, Monitoring & Technology, ZSL
Anthony Dancer
Exciting opportunity for an experienced biodiversity monitoring expert in ZSL's conservation department
18 July 2023
Article
New Updates to Carbon Mapper Data Portal
Stephanie O'Donnell
Global methane data and new functionaity on the Carbon Mapper Data Portal
12 July 2023
Careers
RFCx/Arbimon is Hiring a Data Scientist!
Carly Batist
Apply to work with an absolutely all-star group developing AI/ML techniques and models for acoustic monitoring!
28 June 2023
Article
Request for proposals - Biodiversity + tech solutions
Anna Colquhoun
The GSMA ClimateTech programme
21 June 2023
Careers
Job opportunity in Leiden, The Netherlands
9 June 2023
Careers
Wildlife Monitoring Engineer
Tom August
Permanent and Full Time role at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
8 June 2023
Funding
Field Inclusive, Inc. is offering a $2000 travel award to students to attend bird-focused conferences, workshops, and trainings. Interested acoustic monitoring community members should apply by July 31st for...
2 June 2023
August 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
October 2025
event
Vanesa Reyes
November 2025
March 2023
event
Stephanie O'Donnell
event
Harry Rust
event
Harry Rust
February 2023
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Harry Rust
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 11 months 2 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 | 11 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 | 1 year 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 | 1 year 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 | 1 year 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 | 1 year ago | |
| Hi there Loveness, I agree there is a ton to learn with acoustic monitoring! Here's my favorite website for learning the (many) basics! Discovery of Sound in the SeaHave... |
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Acoustics | 1 year ago | |
| Karibu sana |
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Acoustics, East Africa Community, Conservation Tech Training and Education | 1 year ago | |
| Hi César, Is there a geographic area you're limited to? That would help to narrow down options. I would recommend reaching out perhaps to the Kitzes Lab, Sound Forest... |
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Acoustics, Citizen Science, Community Base, Early Career, Marine Conservation | 1 year ago | |
| Retweet on OpenSoundscape - great package and documentation that allows you to build your own CNNs! Note that this is in Python though. There are tons of bioacoustics... |
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Acoustics, Data management and processing tools | 1 year ago | |
| Hi @BrettMargoSupplies this product seems like a fantastic addition to The Inventory, WILDLABS' wiki-style discovery platform for conservation technology. Adding a product is... |
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Acoustics | 1 year ago | |
| Hi everyone, I am conducting a research project as part of my MSc in Environment and Development at the London School of Economics. I... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, Ethics of Conservation Tech | 1 year ago |
