BU Research Blog

This weeks highlight in the PGR Virtual Poster Showcase:

Helen Slater, PhD student in the Faculty of Science & Technology with this poster from her live exhibition entitled:

‘LEAP voices in the jungle: remote monitoring of forest biodiversity.’

Click the poster below to enlarge.

A major challenge in wildlife conservation is the difficulty of collecting and maintaining robust records of abundance and distribution. Sumatra contains a diverse array of unique animal sounds, since many forest animals use acoustic signals for long range communication; these signals can tell us a great deal about wildlife populations and behaviour. A forest soundscape was recorded in secondary forest in Sumatra, Indonesia, as a tool for rapid biodiversity assessment and to begin building a database of vocal signals for long term monitoring of apes and elephants. A network of custom-built acoustic recorders were deployed, covering both protected secondary forest and smallholder plantations at the forest edge. These data are valuable for biodiversity and population monitoring, as well as hugely effective tools for conservation education. In addition to wildlife research, materials collected from this project are being incorporated into an interactive exhibition to engage young children with nature and conservation.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.