Vandana Kannan, Biodiversity Conservation
Barefoot ecologists in Keystone’s restoration sites (Begur (Wayanad), Bikkapathy Mund, Uginiyam (Kadambur)) have been conducting ecological monitoring for over a year. To cover more sites and seasons and compare wildlife presence across areas with invasive densities, we chose bioacoustics for monitoring.
In Begur, Wayanad, we conducted a workshop on bioacoustics theory for BFE members Arun and Renju from January 23rd & 24th. The workshop covered sound theory, audio data collection methods, AudioMoth and SwiftONE setup, and Raven Pro and BirdNET analysis software. We had a field session in the Begur site, where BFEs used one SwiftONE recorder to collect audio data on birds.The BFEs analyzed the data and documented 17 bird species observed in a teak plantation habitat.
Following this, the BFEs and restoration team discussed the way forward and the research study to follow in the upcoming years. The BFEs will regularly use the recorders in their study sites to compare bird and amphibian vocalizations in benchmark and restoration sites, across seasons. Their traditional knowledge of local biodiversity will help in confirming the species present in the audio data. We hope that this contributes significantly to understanding how invasive species impact biodiversity richness, and how and if restoration can bring back specialist and sensitive species to the landscape. This workshop will soon be conducted with more BFEs in other restoration sites.
