. Earth Science News .
WOOD PILE
Big Brother-style surveillance gives new insight into Amazon's hidden wildlife
By VITORIA VELEZ
Tefe, Brazil (AFP) May 14, 2019

Scientists are deploying ultra-sensitive sensors in the Amazon to collect images and sounds of the rainforest's rich biodiversity in real time, in an effort to track preservation efforts.

The Big Brother-style Providence Project was launched two years ago by French scientist Michel Andre of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Mamiraua Sustainable Development Institute in northern Brazil.

"I want to help the rest of the world understand the urgency of protecting the Amazon rainforest and supporting conservation initiatives," says Andre, who is director of the university's bioacoustic applications laboratory.

- Smart ears -

"Satellites and drones have been used for years to quantify the number of trees cut down every year," Andre tells AFP.

"But there is very little data about the diversity of species living in and underneath the canopy. This gave us the idea of using state-of-the-art technological tools to monitor biodiversity on a large scale.

"Thanks to Providence nodes, we are collecting countless images and sounds in the Mamiraua flooded forest areas," he adds.

"Those smart ears are sending the data in real time to my laboratory where we are analyzing them with the help of the local indigenous communities of Mamiraua and the biologists of the institute.

"Since the start of the project, 10 nodes have been deployed in the reserve and over 40 species (birds, monkeys, insects, bats, dolphins, fish) have been identified and monitored."

- Funding needed -

"We divided this ambitious project into three phases," explains Andre.

"Phase one occurred in Mamiraua with 10 nodes distributed in different areas to check that our system was able to work in very harsh conditions.

"Now, we are in an intermediate phase between phase one and phase two that started last December. We will deploy 10 of these nodes in the cloud forest in Bolivia called Madidi and another set of 10 nodes in Xingu in Brazil," he adds.

"By 2021, we'll have 30 operational nodes in three different areas of the forest.

"During this pre-phase two, we will also build eco-acoustics indices that will help us to monitor the health of the Amazonian primary forest ecosystems.

"Phase three is planned for 2025 with the ultimate goal of Providence: monitoring the whole Amazon rainforest with one thousand nodes deployed in a 100 square kilometer (38 square miles) grid to be able to study the impact of climate change and of human activities on this unique habitat," Andre says.

"Phase one and pre-phase two were funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation at a cost of $3.5 million. Phase two is estimated to be $8 million and phase three around $30 million.

"We still don't have funds for phases two and three."

- Grassroots -

"One fundamental aspect of Providence is to work side by side with the indigenous communities as they are the true guardians of the Amazon," says Andre.

"They have a very precious vernacular knowledge of the biodiversity that we need to learn and understand.

"They have been involved from the very start in Providence so we can share a common approach for conservation and reach our objectives together."


Related Links
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


WOOD PILE
Climate change is giving old trees a growth spurt
Washington DC (SPX) May 10, 2019
Larch trees in the permafrost forests of northeastern China--the northernmost tree species on Earth - are growing faster as a result of climate change, according to new research. A new study of growth rings from Dahurian larch in China's northern forests finds the hardy trees grew more from 2005 to 2014 than in the preceding 40 years. The findings also show the oldest trees have had the biggest growth spurts: Trees older than 400 years grew more rapidly in those 10 years than in the past 300 years ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WOOD PILE
Italy takes in migrants rescued by navy, but not charity ship

Pentagon assigns another $1.5 bn for border wall

Italian navy ship rescues 36 migrants off Libya

Amid plague of US mass shootings, 'heroes' emerge

WOOD PILE
Discovery may lead to new materials for next-generation data storage

Researchers create 'force field' for super materials

Gold helps CT scans pick up the finest surface structures

Recognising sustainable behaviour in orbit

WOOD PILE
Remarkable fish see color in deep, dark water

Tunisia seizes illegal red coral worth two million euros

Study explores the use of robots and artificial intelligence to understand the deep-sea

Radical desalination approach may disrupt the water industry

WOOD PILE
Influential excrement: How life in Antarctica thrives on penguin poop

US climate sceptics send shivers through Arctic cooperation

Arctic rivers provide fingerprint of carbon release from thawing permafrost

Thawing permafrost leaves traceable carbon footprint in Arctic rivers

WOOD PILE
Hong Kong to cull 6,000 pigs as first swine fever case found

France probes alleged Monsanto lists on opinion-makers

Malaysia minister accuses EU of palm oil 'trade war'

Cyprus's emblematic wild sheep lock horns with mountain farmers

WOOD PILE
Earthquake in Panama leaves five injured, minor damage

Protests reported as millions without power, one week after India cyclone

Storm water banking could help Texas manage floods and droughts

Strong 6.3-magnitude quake hits southern Japan, no tsunami threat

WOOD PILE
French special forces free 4 hostages in Burkina Faso

Six months too few to form S.Sudan unity government: president

Nigerian police free 27 hostages, including five Chinese

Five Nigerian soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack: army

WOOD PILE
Climate change triggered South American population decline 8,000 years ago

China, India boost global booze binge: study

Tibetan plateau first occupied by middle Pleistocene Denisovans

Prehistoric craftsmen sought freshwater mussels for their ornamental shell









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.