By Schyler Brown, Houston Audubon Conservation Specialist
As birders may know, counting birds is often done by sound as much as it is by sight. Furthermore, a good birding spot can be indicative of quality habitat for our wildlife. In a recent publication from Nature Communications, researchers used bioacoustics to measure habitat restoration. They collected bioacoustics data (sound recordings of biological organisms) and determined that it could be paired with computer algorithms to create an automated system that detects all species in an area where the system is set-up. This is a huge advantage for scientists who rely on a lot of data but are limited by funding and restricted site visits.
After a computer has pulled together a complete list of species detected in the recordings, researchers can use the data to build a biodiversity index list for each habitat. Basically, the index tells researchers site specific information about the different combinations of birds in the area. The researchers’ hypothesis that a biodiversity index created for each site would correlate with levels of habitat recovery proved true. This type of research is a fantastic resource for conservationists interested in knowing whether or not their efforts are effective. Read more about the methods used in this study at the link below.
- Müller, J., Mitesser, O., Schaefer, H.M. et al. Soundscapes and deep learning enable tracking biodiversity recovery in tropical forests. Nat Commun 14, 6191 (2023).
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