Camera traps have been a key part of the conservation toolkit for decades. Remotely triggered video or still cameras allow researchers and managers to monitor cryptic species, survey populations, and support enforcement responses by documenting illegal activities. Increasingly, machine learning is being implemented to automate the processing of data generated by camera traps.
A recent study published showed that, despite being well-established and widely used tools in conservation, progress in the development of camera traps has plateaued since the emergence of the modern model in the mid-2000s, leaving users struggling with many of the same issues they faced a decade ago. That manufacturer ratings have not improved over time, despite technological advancements, demonstrates the need for a new generation of innovative conservation camera traps. Join this group and explore existing efforts, established needs, and what next-generation camera traps might look like - including the integration of AI for data processing through initiatives like Wildlife Insights and Wild Me.
Group Highlights:
Our past Tech Tutors seasons featured multiple episodes for experienced and new camera trappers. How Do I Repair My Camera Traps? featured WILDLABS members Laure Joanny, Alistair Stewart, and Rob Appleby and featured many troubleshooting and DIY resources for common issues.
For camera trap users looking to incorporate machine learning into the data analysis process, Sara Beery's How do I get started using machine learning for my camera traps? is an incredible resource discussing the user-friendly tool MegaDetector.
And for those who are new to camera trapping, Marcella Kelly's How do I choose the right camera trap(s) based on interests, goals, and species? will help you make important decisions based on factors like species, environment, power, durability, and more.
Finally, for an in-depth conversation on camera trap hardware and software, check out the Camera Traps Virtual Meetup featuring Sara Beery, Roland Kays, and Sam Seccombe.
And while you're here, be sure to stop by the camera trap community's collaborative troubleshooting data bank, where we're compiling common problems with the goal of creating a consistent place to exchange tips and tricks!
Header photo: Stephanie O'Donnell
Independent Researcher (Conservation Biologist)
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nature nerd, leopard and eagle lover
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Conservation Biologist; Research interest Human Dimensions on Wildlife Conservation and Conservation Tech
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Arribada Initiative
Senior Project Manager and Field Specialist
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I'm a wildife conservationist currently working in conservation Technology as a Data Technician. I'm very passionate about conserving wildlife and exploring more in the conservation world.
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I am a skilled ecologist, animal scientist, conservationist, and environmentalist with experience in wildlife, ecological modelling, statistics, agriculture, and natural resource management. I aim to make a positive contribution to these fields through research and conservation.
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Passionate about wildlife and impact investment with an academic, research and practitioner background in environmental science, environmental law and green criminology pursued in Central America, China, Tanzania and the United Kingdom I am driven to decolonise the research on c
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Dedicated wildlife conservationist with over three years of hands-on experience in field research and conservation. Through extensive fieldwork i developed a strong foundation in various conservation techniques, including camera trap deployment, plant inventory methods.
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- @Venance
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As a wildlife conservationist, I am deeply committed to the Ecology and Community Development. I help communities balance conservation with livelihoods, promoting beekeeping with the motto “Shusha Shoka, Pandisha Mzinga (Drop the Axe, Raise the Hive).
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National Geographic Society
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Funding
Conservation Leadership Programme 2017 Award
WILDLABS Admin
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a training and capacity building programme that targets individuals from developing countries who are early in their conservation career and demonstrate leadership...
21 November 2016
Funding
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grants via USFWS
WILDLABS Admin
Do you work on conserving Neotropical migratory birds? Do you need funding? Why not apply for a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act's grant program? The...
8 November 2016
Article
Internet Cats Just Got Bigger
WILDLABS Admin
The internet has a long love affair with cat pictures, but these aren’t your mom’s internet cats. Now internet cats are getting even bigger and wilder. In this article, Dr. Lisa Feldkamp talks about the work Panthera is...
26 October 2016
Article
Caves don't tend to be well-liked ecosystems, being extremely dark, often quite cramped, and slippery. And the creepy-crawlies that live within them can be the stuff of nightmares. Nevertheless, one's attitude towards...
25 July 2016
Article
Camera traps reveal mysteries of nature
Roland Kays
Sharing personal 'best of' animal pictures is a favorite pastime of many camera trappers. A prolific camera trapper himself, Roland Kays has pulled together more than 600 images collected by 152 researchers from 54...
18 July 2016
Article
Can camera traps placed in trees offer a way to rapidly inventory secretive arboreal mammals? How does this approach compare with traditional survey techniques? Dr Andy Whitworth and his colleagues set out to answer...
4 July 2016
Article
TEAM Network and Wildlife Insights
Eric Fegraus
Operating the largest tropical forest camera trap network globally, TEAM Network has accumulated over 2.6 million images. How can large datasets coupled with new techniques for data management and analysis provide...
28 April 2016
Article
Camera traps have revolutionised wildlife research and conservation, enabling scientists to collect photographic evidence of rarely seen and often globally endangered species, with low expense, relative ease, and...
20 April 2016
Article
When Victoria Espinel, President and CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance, spoke at the WWF Fuller Symposium, she took us on a whistle-stop tour of case studies where software and data are transforming our understanding...
10 March 2016
Article
Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge: Winners Announced!
WILDLABS Admin
From artificial “sniffer” technologies to portable DNA sequencers, the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge received hundreds of innovative ideas to help stamp out wildlife crime. Now, the Challenge is proud to announce 16...
22 January 2016
Article
New technologies offer a lot of potential for conservation, but are there potential risks to deploying these new technologies? In this first thought piece for the Ethics of Conservation Tech Group, Dr Chris Sandbrook...
2 November 2015
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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| Hi everyone,We all know camera traps are great at telling us what species showed up, where and when—and sometimes even ... |
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Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools | 12 hours 2 minutes ago | |
| We have spent the past 9 months taking the lessons learnt from the AMI system to build an automated moth monitoring system... |
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Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, Camera Traps | 1 day 8 hours ago | |
| Lively and informative discussion, I would very much like to contribute if there is some active development work with regards to this. I have recent experience with using... |
+31
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Data management and processing tools, Camera Traps, Software Development | 5 days 23 hours ago | |
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Latin America Community, Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Drones, Early Career | 2 weeks 6 days ago | ||
| @LukeD, I am looping in @Kamalama997 from the TRAPPER team who is working on porting MegaDetector and other models to RPi with the AI HAT+. Kamil will have more specific questions. |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 3 weeks ago | |
| Hi Ștefan! In my current case, I am trying to detect and count Arctic fox pups. Unfortunately, Arctic fox does not seem to be included in the training data of SpeciesNet but... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 3 weeks 1 day ago | |
| Interesting. Thanks for the explanation. Nice to hear your passion showing through. |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools, Open Source Solutions, Software Development | 3 weeks 3 days ago | |
| Weeks with continuous inference would require a pretty big battery. I expect you would need some kind of customisation and maybe quite a bit of compromise to last weeks and on a... |
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Camera Traps | 3 weeks 3 days ago | |
| 📸 Do you use camera traps in your work? Take part in our survey!Hi everyone! I’m currently a final-year engineering... |
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Camera Traps, AI for Conservation, Data management and processing tools, Open Source Solutions, Software Development | 3 weeks 4 days ago | |
| That's great! |
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Camera Traps | 1 month ago | |
| True, the US ecosystem is a challenging space right now, for basically all sectors. We should not let the US chaos prevent us from engaging with opportunities in other... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Connectivity, Drones, Emerging Tech, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Marine Conservation, Sensors | 1 month 1 week ago | |
| Yes, I know about this big limitation,As far as I know they are working to increase the coverage available for this solution.For trusted developers, there are more regions... |
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Connectivity, Camera Traps | 1 month 1 week ago |
