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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- @EliThore
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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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- @Theresa
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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
- | He
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
- | He/Him
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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- 5 Groups
- @Xavier_Mouy
- | he/him
I build software and hardware tools to help the analysis or the collection of passive acoustic data.
- 1 Resources
- 7 Discussions
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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
- | He/him
Baker Consultants
Director of Bioacoustics and Senior Lecturer
- 2 Resources
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- @SarikaRFCx
- | she/her
Rainforest Connection
Conservation scientist (tigers, tech, forests, and communities) and Head of Partnerships at Rainforest Connection/Arbimon
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Careers
Job: Conservation Technology Specialist (PT)
Ann Turiano
To assist with creative research project in the DC/VA/MD region
6 January 2023
Careers
Job: maker / workshop technician
Duncan Wilson
We are looking for someone who enjoys the craft of making to come and help run our London based lab.
5 January 2023
Careers
PhD - Sensory ecology of vespine wasps
Duncan Wilson
a technology-led solution to understanding the honeybees of the wasp world
8 December 2022
Link
Acoustic survey data is used to estimate the diversity of critically endangered amphibians in the fragmented forests of Madagascar.
28 November 2022
Link
WILDLABS Digest: 4 November 2022
Stephanie O'Donnell
A new issue of our community digest just went out! Check it out to discover a big platform update, and a summary of all the latest content from across WILDLABS in one easy to scan place!
4 November 2022
Article
New conservation tech articles from Mongabay
Carly Batist
Five articles that include conservation tech published at Mongabay
20 October 2022
Careers
Conservation Technology Intern (Vietnam)
Stephanie O'Donnell and 1 more
*New closing date!* WILDLABS and Fauna & Flora International are seeking an early career conservationist for 12-month paid internship position to grow and support the Southeast Asia regional community in our global...
19 October 2022
Careers
Acoustic Monitoring Biologist (Avian)
Jerry Cole
The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) seeks a biologist to assist with an autonomous recording unit (ARU) bird monitoring project at California off-highway vehicle recreation parks and other ARU monitoring projects...
19 October 2022
Link
"We develop the use of benthic species as animal oceanographers by combining archival (depth, temperature) data from animal-borne tags, passive acoustic telemetry & citizen-science mark-recapture records for the...
10 October 2022
Careers
Open Position at Cornell - Software/Firmware Developer
Holger Klinck
The Yang Center is seeking a Software/Firmware Developer responsible for designing, developing, improving, and maintaining embedded systems to acquire and process bioacoustic data. The
6 October 2022
Article
Audio Across Domains Workshop 2022
Tessa Rhinehart
A collaborative and cross-disciplinary meeting of audio data scientists spawns creative research collaborations
3 October 2022
August 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
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November 2025
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over the years, we have experienced AI in vision & speech. We have seen growth in LLMs. But, we could also have large sound... |
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Acoustics | 2 hours 59 minutes ago | |
| As someone from the future, thank you for posting this update! |
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Acoustics | 5 days 23 hours ago | |
| Dear Colleagues,I hope this message finds you well. I am Manuel Sánchez Nivicela., an independent ornithology researcher based in Ecuador,... |
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Funding and Finance, Acoustics, Latin America Community | 6 days 18 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... |
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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... |
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Acoustics, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Animal Movement, Human-Wildlife Coexistence | 1 week 3 days ago | |
| Awesome, I think I get what you mean! Thank you! |
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Acoustics | 2 weeks 3 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... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech | 2 weeks 4 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... |
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Acoustics, Latin America Community, Software Development | 3 weeks 2 days 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. |
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Acoustics | 3 weeks 2 days 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... |
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Acoustics | 1 month 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... |
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Acoustics | 1 month ago | |
| Thanks @Adrien_Pajot, we are! Also buoys! |
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Acoustics, Animal Movement | 1 month 1 week ago |
