With new technologies revolutionizing data collection, wildlife researchers are becoming increasingly able to collect data at much higher volumes than ever before. Now we are facing the challenges of putting this information to use, bringing the science of big data into the conservation arena. With the help of machine learning tools, this area holds immense potential for conservation practices. The applications range from online trafficking alerts to species-specific early warning systems to efficient movement and biodiversity monitoring and beyond.
However, the process of building effective machine learning tools depends upon large amounts of standardized training data, and conservationists currently lack an established system for standardization. How to best develop such a system and incentivize data sharing are questions at the forefront of this work. There are currently multiple AI-based conservation initiatives, including Wildlife Insights and WildBook, that are pioneering applications on this front.
This group is the perfect place to ask all your AI-related questions, no matter your skill level or previous familiarity! You'll find resources, meet other members with similar questions and experts who can answer them, and engage in exciting collaborative opportunities together.
Just getting started with AI in conservation? Check out our introduction tutorial, How Do I Train My First Machine Learning Model? with Daniel Situnayake, and our Virtual Meetup on Big Data. If you're coming from the more technical side of AI/ML, Sara Beery runs an AI for Conservation slack channel that might be of interest. Message her for an invite.
Header Image: Dr Claire Burke / @CBurkeSci
Explore the Basics: AI
Understanding the possibilities for incorporating new technology into your work can feel overwhelming. With so many tools available, so many resources to keep up with, and so many innovative projects happening around the world and in our community, it's easy to lose sight of how and why these new technologies matter, and how they can be practically applied to your projects.
Machine learning has huge potential in conservation tech, and its applications are growing every day! But the tradeoff of that potential is a big learning curve - or so it seems to those starting out with this powerful tool!
To help you explore the potential of AI (and prepare for some of our upcoming AI-themed events!), we've compiled simple, key resources, conversations, and videos to highlight the possibilities:
Three Resources for Beginners:
- Everything I know about Machine Learning and Camera Traps, Dan Morris | Resource library, camera traps, machine learning
- Using Computer Vision to Protect Endangered Species, Kasim Rafiq | Machine learning, data analysis, big cats
- Resource: WildID | WildID
Three Forum Threads for Beginners:
- I made an open-source tool to help you sort camera trap images | Petar Gyurov, Camera Traps
- Batch / Automated Cloud Processing | Chris Nicolas, Acoustic Monitoring
- Looking for help with camera trapping for Jaguars: Software for species ID and database building | Carmina Gutierrez, AI for Conservation
Three Tutorials for Beginners:
- How do I get started using machine learning for my camera traps? | Sara Beery, Tech Tutors
- How do I train my first machine learning model? | Daniel Situnayake, Tech Tutors
- Big Data in Conservation | Dave Thau, Dan Morris, Sarah Davidson, Virtual Meetups
Want to know more about AI, or have your specific machine learning questions answered by experts in the WILDLABS community? Make sure you join the conversation in our AI for Conservation group!
No showcases have been added to this group yet.
I have worked in the vertebrate pest industry for over 11 years and am on the practical, on the ground implementation of AI animal control systems.
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- @steventay
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Dynamique ET PROACTIF, JE SUIS PASSIONNÉ PAR LA PROTECTION DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT, LE TOURISME RESPONSABLE ET LA CONSERVATION DES ÉCOSYSTÈMES.
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- @diego_ellis_soto
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University of California & California Academy of Sciences
Biodiversity |Technology | Socio-Ecological Systems | Wildlife Ecology | Remote Sensing | Conservation | K12STEM-education | Music | diegoellissoto.org
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- @dka32
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I am a highly motivated individual with a background in Natural Resources Management. I am a conservationist who desire to make an impact in the field of conservation using technology.
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Retired Engineer / UAV interests / Photographer
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- @ColleenEarthScape
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- @Alawa
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Passionate wildlife and biodiversity conservationist
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- @mattaudette
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Software Tester and Test Automator at Wildlife Protection Solutions
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- @williams
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I am a conservationist specializing in endangered species, particularly vultures. As the Endangered Species Conservation Coordinator/Co-Founder at Biota Conservation Hub Foundation (BiotaCHF), I have conducted extensive research/conservation of vultures and other water birds.
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- @ARobillard
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A conservation data scientist and field ecologist with broad interest in the application of machine learning and population genetics to the conservation of threatened species. Alex has conducted field studies throughout central and south America, the Caribbean, and North America.
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Link
We review key characteristics of four AI platforms—Conservation AI, MegaDetector, MLWIC2: Machine Learning for Wildlife Image Classification and Wildlife Insights—and two auxiliary platforms—Camelot and Timelapse—that...
13 January 2023
Careers
Conservation Technology Intern (Vietnam)
Meredith Palmer
WILDLABS and Fauna & Flora International are seeking an early career Vietnamese conservationist for 12-month paid internship position to grow and support the Southeast Asia regional community in our global...
11 January 2023
Careers
PhD position (m/f/d) in Insect Ecology and Conservation
Andrew Fairbairn
This position focuses on the ecology aspect of the project, while a second PhD in Ilmenau will be dealing with programming/AI development. Because of the high temporal resolution of our data, we can investigate how land...
9 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
Job: Software Engineer at Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory
Aaron Roan BOSL
Seeking Software Engineer for Marine Science Lab a UC Santa Barbara
19 December 2022
Careers
Join NASA’s harmful algal bloom ML challenge and win prizes!
Katie Wetstone
Using satellite imagery to detect and classify the severity of cyanobacteria blooms in small, inland water bodies.
15 December 2022
Careers
PhD - Sensory ecology of vespine wasps
Duncan Wilson
a technology-led solution to understanding the honeybees of the wasp world
8 December 2022
Careers
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is seeking a research Post Doctoral Fellow to work in collaboration with the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The position will focus on using Machine...
7 December 2022
Article
New: Satellites for Biodiversity Award
Emma Oldham
Conservation partnership launches new award to advance biodiversity conservation from space
5 December 2022
Careers
PhD Positions at University of Michigan CSE
Elizabeth Bondi-Kelly
Interested in a PhD exploring the potential of AI? Please consider applying to Realize Lab at the University of Michigan CSE.
23 November 2022
Article
Dear AI, We Have Trust Issues
Dave Thau
This essay is the third in a series on the promise and challenges of using AI and machine learning to create a planetary environmental management system.
14 November 2022
Careers
We have a fully-funded PhD opening in the DARSA group. The project aims at developing novel algorithms and annotation tools for hierarchical classification, with profound and immediate applications to both agriculture...
8 November 2022
August 2025
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Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
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Louisa Richmond-Coggan
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Louisa Richmond-Coggan
October 2025
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Lacey Hughey and 3 more
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October 2023
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Recently updated products
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi Simon,We (Reneco International Wildlife Consultants) have an ongoing collaboration with a local University (Abu Dhabi, UAE) for developing AI tools (cameratrap/drone... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Animal Movement, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Connectivity, Drones, Early Career, eDNA & Genomics, Marine Conservation, Protected Area Management Tools, Sensors | 7 months ago | |
| @HeinrichS there’s still time for you or anyone else to make a funding submission to the wildlabs 2025 grants ❤️❤️❤️I haven't applied for wildlabs funding, but I would love for... |
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Human-Wildlife Coexistence, AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Emerging Tech | 7 months ago | |
| thanks kristy! super helpful list. |
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Data management and processing tools, AI for Conservation | 7 months 1 week ago | |
| And I see now they can walk vertically up walls like Spider-Man. |
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Camera Traps, AI for Conservation | 7 months 1 week ago | |
| Thank you for the comments. My team will be glad to have this added to the inventory. |
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AI for Conservation | 7 months 1 week ago | |
| I added plain old motion detection because megadetector v5 was not working well with the smaller rat images and in thermal.This works really well: Also, I can see... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 7 months 2 weeks ago | |
| Hello WalterThanks for your input. I have achieved better results with the puc when hooking it up to a powerbank. Have got them set up to "recording only", and GPS to low power... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Citizen Science, Sensors | 7 months 4 weeks ago | |
| great, this security cameras might be interesting for monitoring crop development and maybe other bigger pests like boars or some other herbivorous animals that could eventually... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 8 months ago | |
| In a recent call with researchers in Thailand. They have mentioned that they use passive chip readers to log data about chipped animals as they pass by. |
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AI for Conservation, Animal Movement | 8 months ago | |
| Seems like we should include some rotations in our image augmentations as the real world can be seen a bit tilted - as this cropped corner view from our fisheye at the zoo shows. |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools | 8 months 1 week ago | |
| Bird Monitoring Data Exchange is a standard often used for birds data. |
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AI for Conservation, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech | 8 months 2 weeks ago | |
| Hey everyone!As you might have heard, BlueSky is on hype now, with millions of users migrating to it from X. Including the scientific world... |
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AI for Conservation | 8 months 3 weeks ago |
