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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Arribada Initiative
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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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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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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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Link
From Max Farrell on Twitter: "New paper comparing eDNA and camera traps for tracking waterhole visitation. We took pictures, analyzed DNA in drinking water, built a reference library for vertebrates in the Kruger, and...
19 September 2022
Funding
The European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+, co-funded by the European Union, has launched a call for research proposals on “Improved transnational monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem change for science and...
14 September 2022
Careers
At the Inria Sophia Antipolis - Méditerranée center. The project will pursue two different methodological goals: (1) explore the use of natural language bottlenecks describing visible traits or other visual...
1 September 2022
Careers
Conservation Technology Research Internship
Meredith Palmer
Boost cons tech capacity at an international NGO! Fauna & Flora International is offering a paid three-month internship to consolidate and share best practices for the application of emerging hardware and software...
26 August 2022
Careers
Postdoc in the application of AI for wildlife conservation & management
Tim R. Hofmeester
The Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies (WFE), SLU, Umeå, is looking for a postdoc with strong interests in wildlife conservation technology.
26 August 2022
Careers
Lead Software Engineer for ARISE
Chantal Huijbers
Job opening at ARISE, an innovative program in the Netherlands to build a digital infrastructure for biodiversity data and services
19 August 2022
Careers
Lead Software Engineer, Wildlife Insights
Nicole Flores
Are you creative, love new challenges and have experience developing software? The Wildlife Insights team is hiring! Join a diverse team of ecologists, data scientists, engineers and machine learning experts to protect...
10 August 2022
Link
Hi folks! I built out a human-in-the-loop annotation platform for Felidae Conservation Fund, a SF-Bay Area nonprofit last Fall using MegaDetector. I'm looking for feedback from this amazing community around areas of...
10 August 2022
Article
Tiger, Tiger, in the Night... Now Visible in Real Time
Stephanie O'Donnell
Press Release for International Tiger Day – July 29th, 2022: For the first time ever, wild tigers and their prey have been detected by AI-powered, cryptic cameras that transmit the images to the cell phones and...
5 August 2022
Careers
Wolverine Data Technician
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
WCS Canada is seeking a Data Technician with a keen eye for detail to support its Wolverine Conservation Program. The Data Technician will be responsible for classifying wildlife photos taken with motion-sensor cameras...
29 July 2022
Careers
Two postdoc positions are now accepting applications for an NSF-funded project integrating data from museums, iNaturalist, and camera trapping data from the Snapshot USA annual survey.
11 July 2022
Careers
Snapshot USA Survey Coordinator
Stephanie O'Donnell
The Survey Coordinator is a 3 year role that will assist Program Managers in recruiting. training and retaining participants in a nation-wide camera trapping program
9 June 2022
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Stephanie O'Donnell
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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... |
+16
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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 |
