5 min read

Bioacoustics - what if?

Written by
Robin Whytock
Released on
August 21, 2025
What if we could have a globally connected network of ears, listening to wildlife in forests, grasslands and oceans 24/7?

We can't do this quite yet, but bioacoustics and AI gets us closer.

Bioacoustics uses sound to monitor and study wildlife. Strategically placed sensors capture recordings from animals like birds, bats, and frogs. 🦇

Field ecologists can then analyse recordings to identify:

Which species are present, when they're active and where they are lovated. This supports biodiversity baselining, environmental impact assessments, sustainability reporting and more for conservation efforts. Bioacoustics can often detect elusive or rare species that other methods might miss.

At Okala, bioacoustics is one tool in our own multi-pronged approach to collecting biodiversity data.

Combined with field surveys, camera traps, and environmental DNA, it helps give us a comprehensive picture of species richness and community structure in an ecosystem. Beyond our own work, we support other researchers and ecologists with analysing bioacoustic data using our software and AI tools to speed-up data processing. What's your experience with bioacoustics? Have you encountered any surprising discoveries through sound monitoring? Are you having difficulties analysing data even with AI tools?