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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- @AliceMuller
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I am an environmental scientist working in international community development and community led ecosystem restoration
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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
I am a biologist with a broad interest in how the environment affects the behaviour and ecology of wildlife. I also like seeking creative and practical solutions to reduce our impact on the environment.
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- @fmnrandrew
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I hold a PhD in terrestrial ecology (2010) and am an Adjunct Research Fellow at Charles Sturt University. I also work with World Vision Australia as Monitoring Coordinator for a project called "Scale Up FMNR" which is short for "Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration"
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- @Iniunam
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Conservation Biologist, Data Analyst and Bioacoustics enthusiast
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- @sbombaci
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I study acoustic ecology, community ecology, and social justice in conservation
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- @garthpaine
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Arizona State University
Garth Paine (https://www.activatedspace.com/ ) is acoustic ecologist, composer, sound artist, and academic (ASU) based in USA/Australia. He is known for his pioneering work on species density metrics from ambient recordings and his anti-poaching efforts
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- @Xavier_Mouy
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I build software and hardware tools to help the analysis or the collection of passive acoustic data.
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Researcher interested in the conservation of endemic anurans from arid High Andes. Focused on behavior, ecology, physiology, and reproduction studies. Education for conservation.
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- @CarlosAbrahams
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Baker Consultants
Director of Bioacoustics and Senior Lecturer
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- @SarikaRFCx
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Rainforest Connection
Conservation scientist (tigers, tech, forests, and communities) and Head of Partnerships at Rainforest Connection/Arbimon
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InsectSet459 - the first large-scale open dataset of insect sounds, featuring 26,399 audio clips from 459 species of Orthoptera and Cicadidae.
24 March 2025
Careers
Naturalis is looking for a postdoc in AI for Ultrasonic Bioacoustic Monitoring
24 March 2025
Careers
Postdoctoral opening in the Bioacoustics and Behavioral Ecology Lab at Syracuse University
14 March 2025
Funding
BirdCLEF+ 2025
Alex Rood
Species identification from audio, focused on birds, amphibians, mammals and insects from the Middle Magdalena Valley of Colombia.
12 March 2025
Careers
Postdoc in bird modelling and remote sensing
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
Building species-specific habitat models for forest bird species using state of the art methods and remote sensing layers
28 February 2025
Funding
Osa Conservation is launching our inaugural cohort of the ‘Susan Wojcicki Research Fellowship’ for 2025, worth up to $15,000 per awardee (award value dependent on project length and number of awards given each year)....
10 February 2025
Article
workshop introduced participants to the power of bioinformatics and next-generation sequencing (NGS) in conservation biology.
10 February 2025
Link
New paper - "acoupi integrates audio recording, AI-based data processing, data management, and real-time wireless messaging into a unified and configurable framework. We demonstrate the flexibility of acoupi by...
7 February 2025
Careers
Live and work in sunny San Diego for the summer, contributing to engineering projects as they relate to conservation technology.
6 February 2025
Careers
SDZWA Conservation Tech Summer Fellowship
Kyra Swanson
The Conservation Technology Laboratory within the Population Sustainability department is seeking two fellows for summer 2025
5 February 2025
Careers
PhD-project Benefit of Broadleaves for Bats, Birds and Beetles
Tim R. Hofmeester
Fully funded 4 year doctoral student position
16 December 2024
Careers
AI Researcher / Doctoral Candidate
Thiago Gouvêa
Develop state-of-the-art interactive ML-based tools for biodiverstiy conservation and related applications
11 December 2024
August 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
October 2025
event
Vanesa Reyes
November 2025
December 2020
June 2020
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Recently updated products
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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| Yeah that would be great - I have done a little looking into it today and I have some ideas. I'd love to collab. I will DM you |
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Acoustics | 1 year ago | |
| Many thanks. That is a useful place to start. I don't think there is any shortage of blackbirds in the UK. And they nest in our garden every year. I don't remember the last time I... |
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Acoustics | 1 year 1 month ago | |
| Hi Luke,As Matthew has suggested, the best way is always to run a test run whenever you are doing something new. Put your recorders out for one or two days and see how they... |
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Acoustics | 1 year 1 month ago | |
| My organization has some Wildlife Acoustics SongMeter SM4 units that we’re looking to sell. We need more mobile and cost-effective ARUs for... |
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Acoustics | 1 year 1 month ago | |
| Hi Chris - I missed this entire dialog, just to say I have successfully recorded all the"quiet" bats using pippyg / pippistrelle, but it inevitably turns into an SNR issue, and... |
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Acoustics | 1 year 1 month ago | |
| Fantastic!! |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Animal Movement, Build Your Own Data Logger Community, Community Base, Early Career, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Marine Conservation, Open Source Solutions | 1 year 2 months ago | |
| If you search Digikey for a 'strain relief' you should be able to find a rubber grommet that will hold that mic without any additional machining. A blob of silicone will adhesive... |
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Acoustics | 1 year 2 months ago | |
| Thanks Carly! I had reviewed some of the help files, but clearly not the right ones!My email is deanc5697@my.uwstout.edu |
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Acoustics, Software Development | 1 year 2 months ago | |
| Hi Tabitha, What recording settings were you using when you saw these differences? I've measured the consumption across some different firmware versions and I can't see any... |
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Acoustics | 1 year 2 months ago | |
| Hello!Long time, no update. @StephODonnell suggested I post here with my thesis and some reflections. ---------------------------------------------------------TL;DR... |
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Acoustics | 1 year 3 months ago | |
| Hi Jesse,For a material to be acoustically transparent (in air), the speed of sound in the material times its density must match that of air. Realistically, any solid... |
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Acoustics, Animal Movement | 1 year 3 months ago | |
| Hi Steph, We appreciate the support! Thanks for the tag and your help managing the community!Patrick |
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Sensors, Acoustics, Conservation Dogs, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions | 1 year 3 months ago |
