Duration
2024-2025
Partners involved
The pilot is coordinated by the Danish Ministry of the Environment through Aarhus University, and involves partners from thirteen countries: Belgium (Flanders), Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy (Autonomous Province of Bolzano), the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain (Catalonia), and Sweden.
More information
Context
Novel technologies have strong potential to support the harmonisation of biodiversity monitoring programmes on a pan-European scale. They can enhance standardisation, scalability, and cost-efficiency. This pilot deploys automated visual and acoustic sensor systems in 13 countries to monitor nocturnal insects, birds and bats, paving the way for transnational biodiversity monitoring.
Main objectives
This pilot focuses on:
- Setting up a coordinated acoustic and image-based monitoring scheme across different European regions;
- Improving image recognition for nocturnal insects and sound recognition for nocturnal birds and bats;
- Assessing the advantages and challenges of using sensor-based tools to monitor common species in real-time;
- Demonstrating how sensor-based monitoring can be used more widely in the future.
Main activities
This pilot monitors insects using image-based recognition through camera-enabled light traps. Images of nocturnal insects are then analysed using existing insect detectors and classifiers. The collected data will deliver Essential Biodiversity Variables (species counts and biomass estimates). Automated audio recognition is used to monitor birds and bats.