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
- @tsmstrat
- | she/her
- 1 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 13 Groups
Spanish veterinarian interested in wildlife conservation
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 14 Groups
- @CaseyAliveAI
- | He/Him
I'm an AI developer focused on ecology and the director of Alive AI
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @team
- | team
Make the stories that make this life worth living.
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 6 Groups
Software engineer
- 0 Resources
- 3 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @Mumonkan
- | he / him
Conservation X Labs & Wild Me
Software Engineer for Wildlife Conservation
- 0 Resources
- 4 Discussions
- 11 Groups
- @aranFish
- | He/Him
CTO at SafetyNet Technologies
- 1 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @ajcatella
- | he/him
I work as a BI Consultant, specialising in Power BI and am passionate about wildlife, particularly in Africa
- 0 Resources
- 3 Discussions
- 8 Groups
- @asime
- | He
I am Asime Oba a passionate conservationist with a strong background in microbiology and environmental science and a deep commitment to preserving, protecting and conserving wildlife and wild places in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @SZaluski
- | her, she
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 3 Groups
- @hannahrisser
- | She/her
CEH
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 10 Groups
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
June 2025
July 2025
June 2020
October 2019
58 Products
Recently updated products
4 Products
Recently updated products
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
|
Camera Traps | 5 months 1 week 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... |
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 5 months 1 week 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. |
+13
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools | 5 months 2 weeks 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... |
|
Camera Traps, Sensors | 5 months 3 weeks 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... |
+3
|
Camera Traps | 5 months 3 weeks 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... |
|
Camera Traps | 6 months 1 week 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... |
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Software Development | 6 months 1 week 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... |
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Sensors | 6 months 1 week ago | |
| I think the big thing is power consumption. Commercial camera traps have a large power (current) dynamic range. That means they can often swing from ~0.1 mA to ~1000 mA of current... |
|
Camera Traps | 6 months 1 week ago | |
| As others have said, pretty much all image models at least start with general-subject datasets ("car," "bird," "person", etc.) and have to be refined to work with more precision... |
+20
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 6 months 2 weeks ago | |
| This is a thread for anyone who has questions about AI for Conservation Office Hours 2025.We're once again teaming up with Dan Morris from... |
|
Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Community Base, Geospatial | 6 months 2 weeks ago | |
| Hi Eugene!Interesting project!I already signed up to test it!Cheers,Lars |
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 6 months 3 weeks ago |
