Protecting Italy’s Riserva Naturale Cratere degli Astroni Reserve
Italy
Overview
RFCx collaborated with WWF Italy and Huawei Italy to deploy an acoustic monitoring system that enables WWF Italy and local partners to monitor illegal activities at Riserva Naturale Cratere degli Astroni (a natural reserve created around an extinct volcano), Orbetello (a peninsula in Tuscany), and Burano (an island in the North Venetian Lagoon) to develop a comprehensive understanding of the biodiversity present.
Partners
World Wildlife Fund
Huawei Italy
Objectives
The primary goal of this project was to create a model capable of automatically recognizing the vocalizations of bird and frog species in Italy.
Implementation
We protected 3 sites with 10 networked Guardian devices and 45 offline edge Audiomoth devices. Alongside the Guardians, the Audiomoths will help fulfill the monitoring system's second function: studying animal species based on their calls. Listening to animal vocalizations can identify different species, monitor their distribution and populations, and identify factors that disturb them, including the effects of climate change.
Outcomes / Challenges
Outcomes:
Since its deployment in August 2021, the Guardian system has detected and analyzed a large volume of audio data.
2,000 real-time reports of possible illegal activity
870,000 Audio recordings of animal vocalizations
49 species of birds and mammals identified
30 field checks prompted
Moreover, in December 2021, the Nature Guardian system in Astroni Crater led to the identification and destruction of an electroacoustic device used by bird poachers.
