{"id":8488,"date":"2023-10-24T16:27:54","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/?p=8488"},"modified":"2023-10-24T16:27:57","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:27:57","slug":"ai-and-sound-recordings-reveal-forest-recovery-in-ecuador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/ai-and-sound-recordings-reveal-forest-recovery-in-ecuador","title":{"rendered":"AI and Sound Recordings Reveal Forest Recovery in Ecuador"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"bulletpoints\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>Acoustic monitoring and AI tools were used to track biodiversity recovery in plots of tropical Choc\u00f3 forest in northwestern Ecuador.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The study found that species returned to regenerating forests in as little as 25 years, indicating positive progress in forest recovery.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Acoustic monitoring and AI-based methods proved to be powerful and cost-effective techniques for assessing biodiversity levels in restored forests, including insects and animals that don\u2019t vocalize.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The authors hope these methods make biodiversity monitoring more transparent, accountable, and accessible to support land managers and market-based conservation mechanisms that rely on forest restoration, such as payments for ecosystem services.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Does planting trees bring back the animals? Around the world, people are working to restore forests, either by planting trees or allowing the flora to return naturally. But as the trees grow, it can be difficult to determine if communities of birds, bugs, frogs, and other life forms are also rebounding.<\/p>\n<p>In the Choc\u00f3 of northwestern Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse rainforests in the world, a group of German and Ecuadorian scientists measured biodiversity recovery across different land types, including active pastures and farms, abandoned farms regrowing into young secondary forests, and mature old-growth forests.<\/p>\n<p>Using a combination of acoustic monitoring and DNA-based surveys, the team found that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-023-41693-w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">species were returning<\/a>\u00a0to the regenerating forests after just a couple of decades.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_274551\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-274551\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23181931\/AI-Canande-forest_Javier-Aznar_2023.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23181931\/AI-Canande-forest_Javier-Aznar_2023.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23181931\/AI-Canande-forest_Javier-Aznar_2023-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23181931\/AI-Canande-forest_Javier-Aznar_2023-1200x800.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23181931\/AI-Canande-forest_Javier-Aznar_2023-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23181931\/AI-Canande-forest_Javier-Aznar_2023-610x407.jpeg 610w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Old-growth Choc\u00f3 forest on Jocotoco\u2019s Canande\u0301 reserve. Photo by Javier Aznar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe can see how the Choc\u00f3 rainforest reestablishes itself over time. Within 25 years, you get a lot of species back,\u201d Martin Schaefer, one of the study\u2019s co-authors and the director of the Ecuadorian NGO\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jocotoco.org.ec\/wb#\/EN\/TheFoundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Jocotoco Foundation<\/a>, told Mongabay. \u201cIt\u2019s a positive message that we need to bring to the public\u2026 Over just three decades, forests are regrowing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The researchers also found that analyzing animal and insect sounds yields information about the overall biodiversity of the forest, including the silent creatures that don\u2019t sing, call, chirp, or squawk.<\/p>\n<p>Sound-based monitoring using artificial intelligence tools is a powerful and cost-effective technique for monitoring biodiversity recovery in tropical forests and, the authors say, these tools are needed \u201cto support market-based conservation mechanisms that may rely on forest restoration, such as payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity offsets and credit markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they\u2019ve done is make a convincing argument that, yes, acoustic monitoring can be used to assess the effectiveness of a forest restoration project,\u201d Wesley Hochachka, an ecologist at Cornell University\u2019s Lab of Ornithology who was not involved in the study, told Mongabay. \u201cI\u2019m not aware of any more thorough examination or demonstration that the potential [of acoustic monitoring] is real and can be realized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The research team established 43 plots across a \u201cforest recovery gradient\u201d in the Choc\u00f3 rainforest. On each plot, they used three acoustic monitoring methods and one DNA-based method.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_274553\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-274553\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182456\/Screen-Shot-2023-10-23-at-11.24.25-AM.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182456\/Screen-Shot-2023-10-23-at-11.24.25-AM.png 828w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182456\/Screen-Shot-2023-10-23-at-11.24.25-AM-768x499.png 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182456\/Screen-Shot-2023-10-23-at-11.24.25-AM-610x396.png 610w\" alt=\"\" width=\"828\" height=\"538\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A figure from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-023-41693-w\/figures\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Mueller et al 2023<\/a>\u00a0shows the location of study plots.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_274554\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-274554\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23183304\/AI-Pastizales_Canande_Scott-Trageser.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23183304\/AI-Pastizales_Canande_Scott-Trageser.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23183304\/AI-Pastizales_Canande_Scott-Trageser-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23183304\/AI-Pastizales_Canande_Scott-Trageser-610x407.jpeg 610w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the pasture study plots, where the forest was cleared decades ago.\u00a0 Image courtesy of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jocotoco.org.ec\/wb#\/EN\/TheFoundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Jocotoco Foundation<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On each plot, the team put out sound recording boxes that captured all ambient sounds (like rain and wind) as well as insects and vocalizing vertebrates such as frogs, monkeys, and birds.<\/p>\n<p>The first acoustic method employed experts to listen to 28-minute recorded segments and identify mammals, birds, and amphibians by their calls. This is a long-standing method, but it is limited by the amount of data humans can process by ear and can be costly.<\/p>\n<p>The second method used recordings to create an acoustic index analysis, which describes qualities like the complexity and diversity of sounds. For instance, the soundscape of a mature forest is more diverse and therefore denser than that of a pasture.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a deep-learning computer model called a convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained on recordings of 75 known bird species. Once trained, the CNN essentially did the work of bird experts to identify calls from weeks of recordings rather than short segments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather than having to do it by hand with an expert, this [CNN] allowed us to really scale up our model,\u201d Schaefer said.<\/p>\n<p>For the final surveys, using DNA, the team set up light traps to catch insects at night. They then used a technique called metabarcoding to analyze the DNA from the insects to get a sense of the diversity of insects present.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_274552\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-274552\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182142\/AI-1017Tropenwaldsound2.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182142\/AI-1017Tropenwaldsound2.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182142\/AI-1017Tropenwaldsound2-768x425.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23182142\/AI-1017Tropenwaldsound2-610x337.jpeg 610w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"566\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sound recording boxes (left) and automatic light traps (right) were set up on each plot to capture sounds and nocturnal insects to assess biodiversity. Image courtesy of University of Wurzburg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>AI acoustic data correlated well with overall biodiversity levels, they found, even for species not directly detected in audio. Schaefer said this was expected, but they were pleased with how well the AI models performed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the most important finding is that AI models allow us to measure biodiversity levels relatively well, even in their simple versions,\u201d Schaefer said. \u201cThese AI models are also a good indicator for the recovery of species that you do not hear in the soundscapes of the forest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course (there is) no information on plants or silent animals. However, birds and amphibians are very sensitive to ecological integrity, they are a very good surrogate,\u201d J\u00f6rg M\u00fcller, a professor and ornithologist at University of Wurzburg Biocenter\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2023-10-wildlife-scientists.amp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">told AFP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The neural network model also effectively tracked bird community changes across the gradient. The results showed that the community of vocalizing animals shifted along the recovery gradient, with the most mature forests having a distinct and more diverse soundscape.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_274550\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-274550\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23180555\/AI-Banded-Ground-Cuckoo-.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23180555\/AI-Banded-Ground-Cuckoo-.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23180555\/AI-Banded-Ground-Cuckoo--768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/10\/23180555\/AI-Banded-Ground-Cuckoo--610x407.jpeg 610w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The endangered banded ground cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus) in the Choc\u00f3 rainforest. Image courtesy of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jocotoco.org.ec\/wb#\/EN\/TheFoundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Jocotoco Foundation<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe best thing about the paper is the integration of sound analysis, neural network models and biodiversity levels that are unconnected to sound \u2026 specifically the insect data,\u201d Shaefer said.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few caveats to these methods. For instance, acoustic monitoring can\u2019t determine if species (especially birds) are just passing through or if they live in and use these plots. Nor can it tell about the abundance of species in a plot.<\/p>\n<p>Bringing this method to more forests will require AI models to be trained on a greater number and diversity of animal sounds.\u00a0 Sound libraries such as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/xeno-canto.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Xeno-Canto<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.macaulaylibrary.org\/?doing_wp_cron=1698078186.8145871162414550781250\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Cornell\u2019s Macauley Library of Natural Sounds<\/a>, are working towards these goals, but more research and funding are needed, said Hochachka, especially in the global south.<\/p>\n<p>However, the study demonstrates that sound recordings and AI have the potential to make biodiversity monitoring more transparent, accountable, and accessible. The authors hope this will help managers determine if their hard-fought efforts are bringing back the whole forest, not just the trees.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Banner image<\/strong><em>\u00a0of male cock-of-the-rock birds in Peru\u2019s Kos\u00f1ipata valley, a bird also found in the Choco. Image credit: Rhett A. Butler<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Liz Kimbrough is<\/strong>\u00a0a staff writer for Mongabay and holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University, where she studied the microbiomes of trees. View more of her reporting\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/by\/liz-kimbrough-2\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Acoustic monitoring and AI tools were used to track biodiversity recovery in plots of tropical Choc\u00f3 forest in northwestern Ecuador. The study found that species returned to regenerating forests in as little as 25 years, indicating positive progress in forest recovery. Acoustic monitoring and AI-based methods proved to be powerful and cost-effective techniques for assessing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8488"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8491,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8488\/revisions\/8491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}