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
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World Wide Fund for Nature/ World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
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- @ldbraunholtz
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(Tropical) forest ecologist w interest: biodiversity, camera traps, community led conservation & more. Passionate about inclusive nature for all.
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- @Riley
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I'm a Data Scientist at Western EcoSystems Technology. I am interested in AI processing and statistical modeling of acoustic data and camera trap and drone imagery.
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- @Gathoni
- | Her/she
PhD Candidate at Nottingham Trent University, UK. Ecologist with a passion for wildlife conservation and conservation technology with foundational training in BSc and MSc Rangeland Management (Ecology option). Current project: Use of acoustics to monitor ecosystem restoration.
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- @parlaynu
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software engineer
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- 13 Groups
- @moorerp
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Oregon State University
Avian/Conservation ecologist at Oregon State University and Wildlife Corridors (in Patagonia, Arizona, USA)
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World Wide Fund for Nature/ World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
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- @AlexBats
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Wildlife Protection Solutions (WPS)
Director of Technology at Wildlife Protection Solutions. Primarily focuses on leveraging machine learning and advanced data analytics to combat poaching, monitor biodiversity, and predict environmental threats.
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- 5 Groups
Arribada Initiative
Director at Arribada, a UK-based conservation technology research & development organisation
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Community Announcement
WILDLABS Community Call Recording: Rainforest X-PRIZE
WILDLABS Admin
Our second WILDLABS Community Call took place on April 1st to continue the discussion started by Ben Tregenna in our Data Science group, in which he suggested the idea of submitting a collaborative entry to the X-Prize...
30 March 2020
Article
Trapped inside during the COVID-19 quarantine and looking to engage with conservation science without leaving your desk? Citizen science projects like those on Zooniverse offer a great opportunity to impact scientific...
18 March 2020
Article
Aditya Gangadharan's latest case study looks at how sensor technology can provide solutions for human-wildlife conflict instances along the Indo-Bhutan border. This project, which aimed to get the local community...
11 March 2020
Article
Using technology in the field allows us to innovate new solutions to very old problems like human-wildlife conflict, but are you giving enough consideration to how your high-tech tools fit into long-term plans? Before...
9 March 2020
Article
#Tech4Wildlife 2020 Photo Challenge In Review
WILDLABS Team
2020 marked our fifth year holding our annual #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge, and our community made it a milestone to remember. Conservationists took to Twitter last week to share their best high-tech snapshots from...
4 March 2020
Funding
The 2020 Tusk Awards are now accepting nominations of outstanding individuals who have made a significant impact on conservation in Africa. These nominations offer the rare and exciting opportunity to honor your peers...
3 March 2020
Article
HWC Tech Challenge Update: Thermal Elephant Alert System
Anne Dangerfield
The Arribada Initiative is back with an update on their thermal elephant alert system which aims to reduce human-elephant conflict (HEC). The success of their system rests on the ability of a camera to accurately...
17 February 2020
Article
A New Cloud Platform Unveils the Most Diverse Camera Trap Database in the World
Zoological Society London (ZSL)
Fueled by Artificial Intelligence, Wildlife Insights provides access to over 4.5 million camera trap records.
17 December 2019
Article
Camera Trapping: Incredibly Useful Resources List
Arie Hammond
Ahead of the upcoming Camera Trapping Sympoisum, organiser Arie Hammond has compiled a list of key resources for camera trapping, covering everything from reading lists for beginners to data sets, models and tools for...
5 November 2019
Article
Plant-Powered Camera Trap Breakthrough
Alasdair Davies
Microbial fuel cells, developed by Plant-powered Camera Trap Challenge winners Plant-E, have been used successfully with Xnor.ai's energy harvesting camera technology to capture what are thought to be the world's first...
15 October 2019
Article
Instant Detect 2.0 emerges
Sam Seccombe
In the past six months Instant Detect 2.0 has physically emerged, with the first prototype systems built and ready for testing at the start of April. The ZSL team is now well into their optimisation and hardening phase...
3 September 2019
Article
Rutgers University, Microsoft AI for Earth, Google Earth Outreach and San Diego Zoo Global are proud to announce the world’s first camera trap technology symposium, to take place November 7th and 8th at Google...
2 September 2019
August 2025
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November 2022
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi Mark, thanks for responding. I think you've identified one of the most difficult parts of research climbing: maintaining your climbing skills and knowledge between field... |
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Community Base, Camera Traps, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Early Career | 7 months 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 | |
| Hello Carly, Congratulations for this project!I am studying right now a second MA in Environment Management. I would like to do my MA thesis project about these technologies... |
+6
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Acoustics, Camera Traps | 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 | |
| Actually, you can source the product from anywhere, but I’m not very confident in the quality of products from China. That doesn’t mean products from China are bad—it might just... |
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Camera Traps | 7 months 3 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 | 7 months 4 weeks 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 ago | |
| Thanks! The Teensys are nice for processing power if choosing an external Lora board I’d say that’s a good choice. I started with teensies, there was a well supported code base... |
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Camera Traps, Sensors | 8 months 1 week ago | |
| Hi Raza,As @ollie_wearn suggests, if think traptagger will be the easiest for you: You just have to follow the tutorial there:The person in charge of Traptagger is also very... |
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Camera Traps | 8 months 1 week ago | |
| Hello Wildlabs community! My name is Shawn Johnson and I am a research assistant for Dr. Karen Mager and Dr. Bernie Boscoe here at Southern... |
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Camera Traps | 8 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Hi Zhongqi! We are finalizing our modelling work over the next couple of weeks and can make our work availabile for your team. Our objective is to create small (<500k... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Software Development | 8 months 3 weeks ago | |
| There's quite a few diy or prototype solutions described online and in literature - but it seems none of these have made it to market yet as generally available fully usable... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Human-Wildlife Coexistence, Sensors | 8 months 3 weeks ago |
