Applying Bioacoustics and Artificial Intelligence to study the spatial ecology of endangered species in Borneo

Tropical rainforests are some of the most biodiverse habitats on earth, but are widely impacted by human activities. They are home to many endangered species that require careful monitoring of their remaining populations, which is often very challenging because the animals are shy, difficult to see in dense vegetation and because these forests by are typically relatively inaccessible. Therefore, estimates of population densities of many species have a high degree of uncertainty, poor spatial resolution and are difficult to repeat consistently over time. In recent years, there has been steep growth in the use of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) in this field. PAM deployed over large areas and over longer periods of time has great potential to provide consistent data on the amount of vocal activity of specific species over space and time. The main limiting factor in the utility of PAMs lies in extracting the necessary information from the vast amounts of data produced. The effective application of AI and other aspects of Data Science are therefore essential for moving this field forward. Aims and Methods. With project partners, we have gathered a large collection of recordings in Indonesian Borneo since 2018. The first aim is to apply AI to White-Bearded Gibbon detection in these recordings and using this to estimate population densities and other aspects of this species' ecology. Secondly, the aim is to create and test a general workflow for applying the AI methodology to a wide range of species. There is flexibility in the direction of the research within these aims, depending on the interests of the student and priorities identified by project partners. Project partners. There will be a 3-month placement with Borneo Nature Foundation International, providing an excellent opportunity to gain experience with all aspects of operations in a conservation NGO. The student will also benefit from interacting with our international network of collaborators.