Ten years ago, we couldn't have imagined how tools like machine learning, eDNA, and satellites would advance and transform conservation work. Now technology is advancing faster than ever, and as tools become smaller, lighter, and more affordable, it's vital to have a space where community members can discuss the next big thing, share ideas, compare tool options, and tell the story of their experiences - positive, negative, and anything in between - while using new technologies.
In 2021, the WILDLABS State of Conservation Tech report detailed what tools show the most promise according to community members, as well as what tools are currently seen as the most effective. And as new tools enter the field, we're excited to see how this data will change over time, and how this group grows over time as well.
Our State of Conservation Tech research also discusses something called the "Hype Cycle" - the pattern that occurs when a new technology bursts onto the scene, promises to be an exciting solution, encounters challenges as new users adopt the tool and put it into practice beyond just theory, and eventually settles into its most effective state as users acquire the right skills to use it to its actual potential. Machine learning, one of the most promising technologies, is currently in the middle of its own hype cycle, and we see community members working through their own hurdles to incorporate ML into their work effectively. Despite what you may think, this Hype Cycle can also be positive for tech development, as it means that users have big ideas for new tools, and with the right resources and skills, they can work toward bringing those ideas to life. And as our community members experiences the Hype Cycle for various tools at their own paces, we hope this group will also serve as a place to discuss that process and overcome hurdles together.
Ready to discover new possibilities? Join our Emerging Tech group now and get to know your forward-thinking conservation tech peers!
Header photo: Internet of Elephants
- @KelseyGrace
- | she/her
Hello! I am PhD student studying Animal behaviour and welfare at the University of Lincoln. I am specializing in studying gopher tortoise cognition and applying what we learn to conservation practices.
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- 6 Groups
- @LouisaRC
- | she/her
LRC Wildlife Conservation
With 20 years' experience as a Conservation Practitioner, I've transitioned from carnivore scientist to Dean, nurturing African conservation leaders. My focus now is on leveraging innovative Web 3.0 technologies for maximum conservation impact.
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 4 Groups
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- 11 Groups
- @MattyD797
- | He/Him
I am studying biotic problems with abiotic intelligence. My research focus is in computational ecology within fishery acoustics, machine learning, remote sensing, and combining visual and audio species identification systems.
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- 12 Groups
Neuroscientist & engineer transitioning to conservation tech. I have experience working with large imaging datasets, pose estimation and positional tracking, and machine learning. Looking to get involved with GIS, remote sensing, and AI for conservation.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 17 Groups
WILDLABS
This account is managed by the WILDLABS Team. Tag us or DM whenever you need help from our community team.
- 19 Resources
- 4 Discussions
- 11 Groups
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- 16 Groups
- @bioNathan
- | he/him
Innovation Design Engineer studying at MSc + MA level. Previously a Robotics engineer with specialisms in remote sensing, control systems & electronics design. Transitioning to ecological contexts. I use bioinspiration to inform tech design, both product & infrastructure.
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- 8 Groups
Tech 4 Conservation
President, Tech 4 Conservation
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- 5 Discussions
- 18 Groups
- @donovantye
- | He/Him
Savanna Ecologist, Field Station Director and Head of Conservation Tech Projects for Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS).
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 14 Groups
- @IsobelAshbey
- | She/her/hers
Running a Tech for Good initiative at Cambridge Consultants, looking for organisations who need help developing new technology for conservation
- 0 Resources
- 7 Discussions
- 5 Groups
Conservation technology enthusiast
- 0 Resources
- 3 Discussions
- 14 Groups
Article
In a recent publication we tested Underwater Passive Acoustic Monitoring (UPAM) as a feasible non-invasive technique to study the calling behavior of therathened aquatic Andean frogs under natural conditions in the...
6 April 2024
Article
Announcing the WILDLABS Awards 2024 awardees!
Adrien Pajot
After a long application review and finalisation process, we are thrilled to finally announce the winners of the WILDLABS Awards 2024!
26 March 2024
Article
The Variety Hour: 2024 Lineup
Alex Rood
You’re invited to the WILDLABS Variety Hour, a monthly event that connects you to conservation tech's most exciting projects, research, and ideas. We can't wait to bring you a whole new season of speakers and...
22 March 2024
Article
Catch up on the conservation tech discussions and events that happened during World Wildlife Day 2024!
7 March 2024
Article
WILDLABS was honoured to represent the global conservation technology sector on the world stage, joining the World Wildlife Day celebrations at the UN. As an invited speaker, Stephanie O'Donnell used her talk to share...
7 March 2024
Careers
We invite applications for the third Computer Vision for Ecology (CV4E) workshop, a three-week hands-on intensive course in CV targeted at graduate students, postdocs, early faculty, and junior researchers in Ecology...
12 February 2024
Article
A portable nanopore DNA sequencer has been used to determine the species of origin of bushmeat intercepted at Brussels Airport during a day of baggage searches.
6 February 2024
Article
In this paper, we report new polynomial type architectures, that we show improve shape awareness in image recognition applications, including in conditions such as blur and fog, making things potentially useful for...
11 January 2024
Article
Cutting edge plant conservation
Ben Nyberg
A game-changing new tool is helping conservationists working with critically endangered cliff plants
9 January 2024
Funding
With $60,000, $30,000, and $10,000 grants available for 14 outstanding projects, the support of engineering and technology talent from Arm (the leading semiconductor design company), and access to the world’s biggest...
1 December 2023
Funding
Impact Shakers Accelerator
Stephanie O'Donnell
A 6-month tailored accelerator for underrepresented founders in Europe to scale their impact startup.
28 November 2023
Careers
The Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (AOPE) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) seek to hire 1-2 scientists at any of the Assistant/Associate/Senior Scientist levels to develop research...
27 November 2023
April 2024
event
Stephanie O'Donnell
December 2023
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In my experience, the preference for trapping animals using different types of snares varies depending on factors such as traditional customs, geographical location, availability... |
+8
|
AI for Conservation, Drones, Emerging Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Wildlife Crime | 7 hours 19 minutes ago | |
| Gotcha, well I look forward to seeing future iterations and following along with your progress!! |
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Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions | 8 hours 25 minutes 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! |
+9
|
Acoustics, Biologging, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Sensors | 3 days 10 hours ago | |
| Hi Matthew,Thanks for your advice, this is really helpful!I'm planning to use it in a seagrass meadow survey for a series of ~20 drops/sites to around 30 m, recording for around... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech, Sustainable Fishing Challenges | 4 days 14 hours ago | |
| This is so cool @Mauricio_Akmentins - congrats and look forward to seeing your project evolve! |
|
Acoustics, Biologging, Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools, Sensors, Software and Mobile Apps | 1 week 5 days ago | |
| Hi @Alasdair Great to hear from you! Thanks for the comment and for those very useful links (very interesting). And for letting @Rob_Appleby know. I can't wait to hear... |
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Emerging Tech, Camera Traps, Conservation Tech Training and Education | 2 weeks 6 days ago | |
| Hello everyone, I'm interested in gathering insights on how the behavior of different species impacts the development and efficacy of... |
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Biologging, Acoustics, Camera Traps, eDNA & Genomics, Emerging Tech, Marine Conservation | 3 weeks 6 days ago | |
| Hi @timbirdweather I've now got them up and running and winding how I can provide feedback on species ID to improve the accuracy over time. It would be really powerful to have a... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Citizen Science, Emerging Tech | 1 month ago | |
| Thank you for the help! |
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Biologging, Emerging Tech | 2 months ago | |
| You can already achieve both of them with your prompt. Or, if you're not using ChatGPT specifically but another LLM that you can fine tune, you can use RAG or fine tuning to... |
+35
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AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech | 2 months 1 week ago | |
| Hi Danilo. you seem very passionate about this initiative which is a good start.It is an interesting coincidence that I am starting another project for the coral reefs in the... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Biologging, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Community Base, Connectivity, Drones, Emerging Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Sensors, Software and Mobile Apps, Wildlife Crime | 2 months 2 weeks ago | |
| Hi!I would take a look at Although developed for camera trap imagery, it is by no means restricted to such.Cheers,Lars |
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Camera Traps, Community Base, Data management and processing tools, Drones, Emerging Tech, Remote Sensing & GIS, Software and Mobile Apps | 2 months 3 weeks ago |
ISO Speakers for Emerging Technologies class.
31 May 2023 4:29pm
2 June 2023 2:08pm
Carly, that would be great! Thanks! I work with soundscapes and love the work of Rainforest Connection! I'll send you an email (@CUNY) to coordinate!
Ashored Innovations: Hardware and Software for Sustainable Fishing
Ashored Innovations
1 June 2023 9:46pm
Climasens: Using technology to understand and respond to climate change
30 May 2023 12:36pm
Climasens’ platform is now being used by Australian Councils to support disaster resilience efforts. It’s inaugural product, HeatSens, is being used to bridge the gap between emergency management and climate change preparedness to better inform efforts and investment towards climate change adaptation, especially in areas where vulnerable populations exist.
AirSeed: Drone planting takes flight to promote reforestation in flood-affected NSW
30 May 2023 12:28pm
AirSeed has developed a unique approach to tackle climate change and restore biodiversity by combining drone technology, machine learning, and seed pod biotechnology to carry out planting that’s 25x faster than traditional hand-planting methods.
Creating digital solutions to help people and nature thrive: Lessons from the frontline
29 May 2023 7:02am
31 May 2023 10:51pm
10 AI for the Planet Projects you should be excited about
25 May 2023 11:07am
FieldKit: Accessible Sensor Technology for All
FieldKit
23 May 2023 10:26pm
Field Surveyor
16 May 2023 4:06pm
Lecturer/Associate Professor of Ecology and Innovative Technologies
UCL
16 May 2023 9:25am
Deadline Approaching: Conservation Tech Award
15 May 2023 10:21pm
NERC Digital Gathering 2023
15 May 2023 1:42pm
Women in Tech Festival 2023
12 May 2023 1:43pm
Introducing the 2023 Conservation Tech Showcase
11 May 2023 5:06pm
2023 F5 Tech for Good Grant Application Now Open
10 May 2023 12:28pm
ICCB 2023 WILDLABS Workshop: Bridging Sectors for Movement Ecology Innovation
9 May 2023 8:37pm
Development of average speed devices
GRO is the story of what on Earth is going on
5 May 2023 1:50pm
Machine Learning Researcher - Computer Vision (Remote)
2 May 2023 8:49pm
Silverstrand Capital's Biodiversity Accelerator+ Programme - Deadline Extended to 5th May 2023
2 May 2023 3:24pm
[Recordings Now Available!) EarthRanger User Conference
27 April 2023 5:52am
Looking to contribute
27 April 2023 2:41am
The GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation 2.0
GSMA
21 April 2023 11:32am
Rapid due diligence for forest carbon projects
21 April 2023 10:51am
Catch up with The Variety Hour: April 2023
21 April 2023 10:42am
The 59th Annual Meeting of Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society
12 April 2023 5:24am
Advice on afforable LiDAR scanners for Amazon forest surveys
5 April 2023 3:47pm
6 April 2023 6:21pm
Hi Jeremy,
With a quick search I've found the paper linked below. It looks like equipments such as Livox MID are sufficient for plot-level analyses, but not for individual trees. Also, it has performed worse in dense canopies and broadleaf forest, thus I believe we won't have a technology capable of doing what you aim for this amount of money (< $1000) in a few years from now.
I hope someone give us an alternative, though. :D
Best,
Office & Warehouse Exec
5 April 2023 6:22pm
The WILDLABS Variety Hour: March 2023 - YouTube
30 March 2023 4:04pm
If you missed our Variety Hour show yesterday, do not fear! It's already live on youtube for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Global shortage of Raspberry Pis - What are the alternatives
3 November 2022 10:27am
28 March 2023 9:37pm
Have you considered Arduinos?
29 March 2023 10:13am
UPDATE: The Banana Pi didnt work out for us as it was not possible to track back all the components and ensure that they were responsibly sourced. The Rock board did work for us and we were able to port our system onto this. We will be rolling out units using this over the summer. It also looks like Raspberry Pis are coming back on line and we were able to secure a bulk order for deliver mid-summer
29 March 2023 10:14am
Yes, but for our needs that are not powerful enough
31 May 2023 10:21pm
Definitely interested! I'm in the ecoacoustics/acoustic monitoring space, working at Rainforest Connection and Arbimon.