Sensors already equip a range of tools to enhance monitoring capacity for conservation. Some of the higher bandwidth technologies, like camera traps and acoustic monitoring systems, have been essential elements of the conservation toolkit for decades, and thus have enough users that we've created dedicated WILDLABS groups to address them. But a whole range of lower bandwidth sensors beyond these core technologies are being increasingly integrated into conservation monitoring systems, and offer rich new insights into the wildlife and ecosystems we're all working to protect. As with many technologies, cost and access have historically been challenges to the adoption of new sensors, but with low-cost and open-source solutions on the rise, we're excited to see what the future of this space holds.
Getting Started with Sensors:
- Watch Shah Selbe's Tech Tutors episode on scaling FieldKit, an open-source conservation sensor toolbox, from a project to a successful conservation tech product.
- Check out our Virtual Meetup about Low-Cost, Open-Source Solutions in conservation tech, including a talk by Alasdair Davies on the Arribada Initiative's work with thermal sensors in early warning systems.
- For a more in-depth introduction, watch the first video in our datalogger mini-series: Freaklabs: How do I get started with Arduino?
In this group, you'll meet others who are using and innovating diverse sensors in their work, discuss ways to make sensors more effective & accessible for conservationists, learn about what sensors are already helping us accomplish in the field, and have the opportunity to ask and answer questions. Join this group to get started!
Header image: Emma Vogel, University of Tromsø
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- @mattaudette
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Software Tester and Test Automator at Wildlife Protection Solutions
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- 1 Discussions
- 24 Groups
- @KathHecht
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I am a biologist/ecologist without concrete specialisation. New Zealand's unique but fragile flora & fauna have taught me the importance of increasing awareness with locals and visitors alike. This is my constant motivator.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 10 Groups
- @tmcgrath
- | He / Him
Geographer, Program Manager, Engineering Manager
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 11 Groups
A Marine Conservationist based in Malaysia
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- 5 Groups
Lecturer and researcher interested in rural applications of Interaction Design. Spent more than a decade teaching in Asia-Pacific (India, China, Singapore, Australia); now based at Glasgow School of Art's rural campus in Forres, Scottish Highlands.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
Snow Leopard Trust
- 0 Resources
- 44 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @kricherds
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Technologist. Civic Science Fellow & Data Inclusion Specialist at OEDP.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 14 Groups
British-Costa Rican | Interested in transdisciplinary research in Planetary Health amongst other things
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 13 Groups
- @NinaTuttie
- | She
An avid learner interested in wildlife ecology, conservation technology and community development
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- 8 Groups
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
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- 2 Discussions
- 8 Groups
- @KiaraHaylock
- | She/Her
PhD in Animal Ecology and Behavioural Physiology. Interested in the movement, behavioural and physiological responses of animals to environmental variability.
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- 0 Discussions
- 13 Groups
20+ years traveler and management consultant turned tech founder and conservationist. Founder & CEO of ZAMBEZI ZERØ; super intelligence to safeguard biodiversity.
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- 15 Groups
Article
Kids, Drones & Science At The Water’s Edge
WILDLABS Team
It’s one thing to hear that a project is working, it’s another thing entirely to see the data brought to life. Using submersible and aerial drones, as well as scientists with snorkels and digital cameras, The Nature...
4 October 2017
Article
DAS: A Scaleable Solution For Protected Area Management
WILDLABS Team
The Domain Awareness System (DAS) is a revolution in monitoring technology, creating real-time awareness of protected areas assets. This technology has the potential to completely change standard monitoring procedures...
26 September 2017
Article
How to lose a BRUV in 10 days
Dr. Ivy Baremore
As pressure on marine resources increases, fishers have to explore deeper and deeper waters to make a living. What does this mean for Belize’s deep-sea sharks? In an effort to understand the threats to these animals,...
26 September 2017
Article
Elephant's Banquet
Femke Hilderink
Human-wildlife conflict can be difficult to understand without knowing its impact on people and communities. In this case study, authored by community member and Human Wildlife Conflict Tech Challenge coordinator Femke...
19 September 2017
Funding
The European Space Agency is calling for Kick-Start ideas to leverage space technology for wildlife protection. Three main topics of interest have been identified: 1) Wildlife monitoring, tracking and inventory, 2)...
5 July 2017
Article
Trialing Audiomoth to detect the hidden threats under the canopies of Belize
Andrew Hill and 1 more
Its been a busy couple of months for the Open Acoustic Devices team. They've just returned back from Belize where they have been trialling the new AudioMoth design for gunshot detection. Find out what they've been up to...
27 June 2017
Article
In this From the Field interview, we speak to Eric Becker, a conservation technology engineer at the World Wildlife Fund US. He talks about his work in technology design and the key challenges he's experienced...
22 May 2017
Article
In this From the Field interview, we speak to Dr. Raman Sukumar, a world renowned expert on Asian elephant conservation. He shares his thoughts on how technology could be used for mitigating elephant-human conflict, and...
5 April 2017
Article
How many samples do you hope to collect on your next field assignment? 50, 100 or 1000? How about billions. It may seem overly optimistic, but as Dr Phil Wilkes explains, that’s the reality when using Light Detection...
4 April 2017
Article
15 Risks and Opportunities for Global Conservation
WILDLABS Team
Researchers have identified 15 emerging risks and opportunities for species and ecosystems around the world in a recent horizon scanning exercise.
31 March 2017
Article
Satellite tracking is the state of the art of technology for mapping wildlife movement. But what if your budget is not state of the art? In our second From the Field interview, we're talking with WILDLABS member and GIS...
29 March 2017
Article
Most people assume that research equipment is expensive and complicated. Yet it doesn’t need to be and the noise egg is a perfect example of this. It consists of a watertight container (as used by scuba divers) and the...
27 March 2017
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So, updated the text a bit with images cropped at 100% zoom :) we are already happy with the time reductions we got, but... would like to get at least 90% time reduction instead... |
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Data management and processing tools, Latin America Community, Sensors | 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 | |
| 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 | |
| The PCB mount terminals are actually quite robust and paired with a lock washer and something that would better secure the nylon (e.g., a piece of flat grooved plastic to add... |
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Acoustics, Conservation Dogs, Sensors | 9 months ago | |
| No problem at all Yu (@JY) and good luck with your studies! Happy to discuss this and any other ideas any time.All the best,Rob |
+10
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Sensors, Animal Movement, Connectivity, Drones, Open Source Solutions, Emerging Tech | 9 months 2 weeks ago | |
| @cmwainaina please take a look |
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Animal Movement, AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Connectivity, Data management and processing tools, East Africa Community, Emerging Tech, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Human-Wildlife Coexistence, Marine Conservation, Protected Area Management Tools, Geospatial, Sensors, Software Development | 1 year ago | |
| A community device isn’t just about the technology; it’s also about creating a collaborative community. Shout out to all innovators... |
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Animal Movement, Marine Conservation, Open Source Solutions, Sensors | 1 year 1 month ago | |
| Hi Steph, We appreciate the support! Thanks for the tag and your help managing the community!Patrick |
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Sensors, Acoustics, Conservation Dogs, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions | 1 year 3 months ago | |
| Congratulations! My first hydromoth was just arrived yesterday and so excited! Looking forward for the update from your project!!! |
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Acoustics, Animal Movement, Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools, Sensors, Software Development, Latin America Community | 1 year 3 months ago | |
| Hi everyone, @craig joined last month's Variety Hour to chat about Tagranger, which you can read more about here. A TagRanger®... |
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Animal Movement, Connectivity, Sensors | 1 year 3 months ago | |
| 'Most importantly, we have to make it play a MIDI version of the DoctorWho theme song when you arm the device. That has to be the #1 feature if you ask me!' Seconded! |
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Acoustics, Animal Movement, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Sensors | 1 year 4 months ago | |
| Sounds good. Just sent you a private message. |
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Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Sensors | 1 year 4 months ago |
Enter the Zooniverse: Try Citizen Science for Yourself!
18 March 2020 12:00am
Webinar: IIED Community-Based Approaches to Tackling Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade
IIED
17 March 2020 12:00am
Tutorial: Train a TinyML Model That Can Recognize Sounds Using Only 23 kB of RAM
16 March 2020 12:00am
Testing an Early Warning System to Mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflict on the Bhutan-India Border
11 March 2020 12:00am
Proximity Data - Analysis methods
10 March 2020 2:44pm
3 Ways Your Conservation Technology Could Become a Shiny Pile of Junk, and How to Avoid It
9 March 2020 12:00am
#Tech4Wildlife 2020 Photo Challenge In Review
4 March 2020 12:00am
sound loop device
3 March 2020 1:59am
Call for Nominations: Tusk Conservation Awards
3 March 2020 12:00am
Competition: Plastic Data Challenge
Ellie Warren
3 March 2020 12:00am
Hawai'i Conservation Conference
Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance
28 February 2020 12:00am
Fence-Based Elephant Early Warning System
25 February 2020 12:00am
Workshop: Using Bioacoustics for Field Survey
CIEEM
20 February 2020 12:00am
Hacking Climate Change - Coaction on Climate Crisis
COACT
20 February 2020 12:00am
HWC Tech Challenge Update: Thermal Elephant Alert System
17 February 2020 12:00am
ICEI2020: 11th International Conference on Ecological Informatics
ICEI 2020
14 February 2020 12:00am
Seafood fund seeks ideas for innovation projects up to £250k
11 February 2020 12:00am
WILDLABS Virtual Meetup Recording: Acoustic Monitoring
WILDLABS Team
5 February 2020 12:00am
Open source, low cost proximity loggers
17 December 2019 10:45am
WILDLABS Virtual Meetup Recording: Drones
WILDLABS Team
9 November 2019 12:00am
Plant-Powered Camera Trap Breakthrough
15 October 2019 12:00am
How do you weigh a live whale?
9 October 2019 12:00am
Instant Detect 2.0 emerges
3 September 2019 12:00am
ESA Kickstarter: Environmental Crimes
22 August 2019 12:00am
ICCB 2019: 5 Key Discussions about the Future of Conservation Tech
21 August 2019 12:00am
Conservation and Technology Conference
Bat Conservation Trust
29 July 2019 12:00am
From the Field: Melissa Schiele
10 June 2019 12:00am
Technology companies, FCO, and conservation NGOs come together to scale technology solutions to end wildlife crime
4 June 2019 12:00am
Technology lab focused on wildlife protection opens on Ol Pejeta Conservancy
31 May 2019 12:00am
FLIR Conservation Discount Program
24 May 2019 4:39pm
25 May 2019 1:18am
Hi Montanamud,
Thanks so much for posting this. I'm Alasdair from the Arribada Initiative, working on the WWF / Wildlabs Asian Elephant Human Wildlife Conflict Challenge to develop an early warning system using thermopiles / microbolometers. We use the Lepton range of FLIR products. Do you know if Lepton modules will be eligable within the Conservation Discount Programme too?
Kind regards,
Alasdair
16 November 2023 1:11am