Although they cover over 70% of our planet, only 0.6% of the world oceans are protected. It is estimated that we only know about 1 in 10 species in the ocean, which is unsurprising given that 90% of the ocean is more than half a mile deep and still remains largely unexplored. How might technology help us discover, understand and protect the vulnerable ecosystems below the waterline?
Marine Conservation is a fast-growing group in the WILDLABS community, capturing a wide variety of tech expertise within its member base, including those working with bioacoustic gear and hydrophones, AUVs and drones, sensors, machine learning, and more. By bringing together WILDLABS members from so many areas of conservation tech, the Marine Conservation group is the perfect place to collaborate on big, complex issues like marine biodiversity monitoring, coral reef health, plastic pollution, and sustainability.
The Marine Conservation group forum is also your place to chat about and solve the challenges unique to using conservation technology in marine environments. Whether you're struggling with deep-sea connectivity or salt water impacting gear longevity, or looking for remote solutions for long-term reef monitoring or biologging data collection, this group wants to help you explore the possibilities!
Check out some of the key marine conservation tech resources, conversations, and virtual events from across the WILDLABS platform:
Tutorials and Talks to Watch on Demand:
- Virtual Meetups: Developing cost-effective, open-source marine megafauna tracking, Jake Levenson
- Tech Tutors: How do I use open source remote sensing data to monitor fishing?, Max Schofield
- Virtual Meetups: eDNA for Aquatic Biodiversity, Alice Valentini
Case Studies, Tools, Research, and News:
- Southern Right Whales & Genome and Satellite Technology, Emma Carroll | eDNA & genomics, satellite data, biodiversity monitoring, climate change
- Building Experts Into AI, Whale Seeker | Machine learning, marine conservation, AI ethics
- Using AIS Data to Investigate the World’s Fishing Ports, Max Schofield | Remote sensing, data visualisation, fishing monitoring
- Small-scale fisheries and tech resources, Dan Steadman | Fishery monitoring, webinars, best practices
- Press Release: BAS Giant Iceberg Mission, British Antarctic Survey | Climate change, AUVs, remote sensing
- Case Study: Thermal imaging, drones, and loggerhead sea turtles, Megan Ossmann | FLIR, Duo Pro R camera, drones
- eDNA sampling to detect invasive snails in shipping ballast water, Gavin Shelton | Invasive species, eDNA, shipping
- Sustainable Fishing Challenges: Fish Catch Monitoring, Dan Steadman | Biologging, sensors, fishing monitoring
Conversations and Questions:
- Satellite tags for marine turtle recommendations | Alasdair Davies
- Calling all hydrophone users! | Team Open Acoustic Devices
- How difficult is it to build a buoy and constrain it in place? | Lindy Knowles
- Methods to detect Derelict Fishing Gear | Nandini Mehrotra
- Drone Mapping for Algal Blooms? | Harold Tay
- Minimising habitat impact of trawling gear | Dan Steadman
- Estimating carbon from 3d models of mangroves | Mark Brown
- Can we detect gillnets in turbid water? | Aurélie Shapiro
- New low cost DIY temperature loggers for reef monitoring | Harold Tay
- Machine learning to detect fish bomb blasts | Jamie Macaulay
Header Image: Emma Vogel
Senior web developer and ML practitioner
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Developing and scaling innovative solutions to climate change and nature loss
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- @nancyalice
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Conservation Communicator | Technology for Wildlife Foundation (TfW)
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- @serena.le
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Conservation tech enthusiast
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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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- @JunglelaniTales
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We currently producing an animation series meant to teach and inspire climate action to kids. Looking forward to networking opportunities.
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National Geographic Society
Experience utilizing technology to inspire, educate, and create solutions to some of our biggest challenges. Currently, head of the National Geographic Society Exploration Technology Lab, overseeing the development and deployment of research and storytelling technologies.
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- @issiecorvi
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Ocean Vision AI Program Manager (MBARI)
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MSc Engineering / IoT Engineer / Nature Enthusiast
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Movement Ecologist studying the where, why, and how animals move throughout our world. Current work is investigating the movement and energetics of large neotropical bats in a changing environment with ephemeral resources.
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Careers
Fully funded PhD in AI biodiversity monitoring
Benno Simmons
Come and do the first research into responsible AI for biodiversity monitoring, developing ways to ensure these AIs are safe, unbiased and accountable.
11 June 2024
Article
New WILDLABS Funding & Finance group
Frank van der Most
WildLabs will soon launch a 'Funding and Finance' group. What would be your wish list for such a group? Would you be interested in co-managing or otherwise helping out?
5 June 2024
Article
Are you passionate about marine wildlife conservation? Excited to network and collaborate with fellow enthusiasts? Join us in launching the Coastal and Marine Wildlife Working Group within The Wildlife Society!
23 May 2024
Funding
Consultancy opportunity - Tech for the Blue Economy
Anna Colquhoun
The GSMA ClimateTech programme is seeking partner research consultant/s for a new project exploring mobile and digital technologies for the blue economy in low- and middle-income countries.
19 May 2024
Article
Share Your Work in a Conservation Technology Video
Robin Marti Sarasa
Do you have photos and videos of your conservation tech work? We want to include them in a conservation technology showcase video
17 May 2024
Article
The Inventory User Guide
Jake Burton
Read in detail about how to use The Inventory, our new living directory of conservation technology tools, organisations, and R&D projects.
1 May 2024
Article
Introducing The Inventory!
Jake Burton
The Inventory is your one-stop shop for conservation technology tools, organisations, and R&D projects. Start contributing to it now!
1 May 2024
Careers
Post Doctoral Research Assistant at ZSL
Alex Rood
ZSL is looking for an enthusiastic research scientist to join the multidisciplinary team and help deliver a project in Wales to better understand the ecology of tope sharks (Galeus galeus) in North Cardigan Bay and the...
9 April 2024
Link
Check out how water-based sporting events are impacting underwater noise pollution for marine life.
3 April 2024
Finwave, while currently in beta-testing, is being used to help reunite an orphaned whale with its family.
3 April 2024
Marine bioacoustics is making waves in Science News!
3 April 2024
Careers
WWF is looking for consultant(s) with expertise in spatial data mapping and analysis.
19 March 2024
June 2025
October 2025
event
Lacey Hughey and 3 more
July 2024
May 2024
April 2024
event
Alex Rood
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Are you working on a solution that protects, restores and supports the ocean and its blue economy? Do you need networks, expertise, talent... |
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Marine Conservation | 4 years 7 months ago | |
| Thanks so much for this Kortney! |
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Marine Conservation | 4 years 9 months ago | |
| Is this offer still open |
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Camera Traps, Marine Conservation | 5 years ago | |
| Thanks Kate - that's really helpful. The company in question are investors in an emerging high-end aquaculture venture and I assume their interest is around utilising... |
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Marine Conservation | 5 years 2 months ago | |
| Hi everyone! I'm working on a project to detect and then predict where to find Derelict Fishing Gear in Coastal Waters along a 160km... |
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Marine Conservation | 5 years 11 months ago | |
| Hi Don, I agree, it's very intriguing. I think they're using the Remora. It looks like a solar powered GPS tracker. I couldn't find much more... |
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Marine Conservation, Latin America Community | 6 years 3 months ago | |
| ATLAN Space recently announced a pilot launch that will use autonomous drones and computer vision to report illegal fishing in the Seychelles islands. This article gives... |
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Marine Conservation | 6 years 8 months ago | |
| Recently the National Whistleblower Center has worked on analyzing the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships ("APPS"), which... |
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Marine Conservation | 6 years 10 months ago | |
| I wanted to post a resource for all who may be interested. The National Whistleblower Center is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that... |
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Marine Conservation | 6 years 10 months ago | |
| The Okinawa Prefectural Government recently released this summary report on the symposium on Henoko-Oura Bay, in Okinawa Japan, organized... |
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Marine Conservation | 6 years 10 months ago | |
| The top 20 submissions are open for public voting through Oct. 19, so you can go test out what people built. |
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Marine Conservation | 7 years 7 months ago | |
| Speaking of data interpretation, creating an IUU risk score was the challenge for this team from the Data Science for Social Good summer fellows program. I saw a presentation on... |
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Marine Conservation | 7 years 8 months ago |
How can technology help reduce manatee boat strikes?
9 February 2016 4:42pm
18 March 2016 5:23pm
Hi John,
Have you checked out Whale Alert? There may be some scope for applying/adapting the same technology for averting manatee strikes by applying it to the recreational boating sector.
Best regards,
Gavin
Beauty as a cheap monitoring tool for reefs?
26 November 2015 5:13pm
11 February 2016 8:16pm
Using SMART to record and map where the boat strikes (and/or sightings of injured manatees) are happening could be a good way to at least get a better idea of the problem, where it is happening and times of year etc.